RU2436915C2 - Floor covering and rectangular board for its obtaining - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: construction.

SUBSTANCE: there proposed is board of the shape corresponding to the conventional parquet blocks for laying of mechanically attached detachable floor covering. Invention also includes floor covering consisting of rectangular boards.

EFFECT: attachment of boards by mechanical method.

5 cl, 17 dwg

Description

The present invention relates generally to the field of floorboards. The invention relates to floorboards that can be mechanically joined to produce different patterns so that they look like a traditional parquet flooring, consisting of parquet blocks. The invention also relates to methods for laying and manufacturing floorboards. The invention is particularly suitable for use with a removable floor, which consists of floorboards having a laminate surface and connected using mechanical joint systems included in the floorboards, for example, types that are not completely made of the core of the floorboard. However, the invention is also applicable to other similar floorboards which, for example, have a surface layer of wood or plastic and which are joined in a detachable manner by means of possible mechanical joint systems.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use with removable laminate flooring with mechanical joint systems. This type of flooring usually consists of a surface layer of laminate, core and leveling layer and is made in the form of rectangular floorboards designed to be joined mechanically, that is, without glue, along both long sides and short sides with blocking vertically and horizontally.

The following description of the prior art, the disadvantages of the known systems, objectives and features of the present invention will, therefore, as non-limiting examples, apply to all of the above applications. However, it should be emphasized that the invention can be used in relation to possible floorboards that are intended to be joined in various patterns by means of a mechanical joint system. Thus, the invention can also be applied with solid wood flooring and wooden flooring consisting of several layers, with flooring with a core of wood fiber or plastic and with a surface that is printed or which consists of plastic, cork, woven felt and the like. material.

Parquet flooring was originally laid by laying blocks of the required configuration and size with various patterns and connected by gluing them to the subfloor. Then the floor was usually cycled to obtain a smooth floor surface and finished using, for example, varnish or oil paint. Traditional parquet blocks corresponding to this technology have no connecting means at all, since they are fixed by gluing to the subfloor. The main disadvantage of such a flooring is that it is very difficult to lay. The main advantage is that the absence of connecting means allows laying the floor with complex and attractive patterns.

According to another known method, grooves are formed in the blocks along all edges along the perimeter of the block. When the blocks are then laid by gluing to the subfloor, tongues are inserted into the grooves in the required positions. Thus, this leads to the flooring, in which the blocks are fixed vertically relative to each other by a tongue, which engages with the grooves of two adjacent blocks. Thanks to this, the surface becomes smooth, and the blocks can thus be delivered with a finished lacquered surface. Fastening in the horizontal direction can be obtained by nailing or gluing to the subfloor.

Traditional parquet blocks are rectangular in shape and usually have dimensions of about 7 × 40 cm. The advantage of this flooring is that the blocks can be laid with desired patterns, for example parallel rows with short sides offset from each other, with a rhombic pattern or pattern " to the tree, "when the blocks are connected with the long side to the short side. The disadvantage of such a flooring, first of all, is that laying and manufacturing are complex and expensive. Such a flooring cannot be moved relative to the black floor. When the blocks dry and swell due to changes in relative humidity, unwanted gaps occur at the joints between the blocks.

To solve these problems, removable wooden flooring was first developed. Such a flooring consists of substantially large floorboards having a width of, for example, 20 cm and a length of 120-240 cm. The surface, as a rule, consists of parquet blocks that are connected in parallel rows. Such floorboards make it easier to stack, as many blocks can be joined simultaneously. The main disadvantage is that it is impossible to create sequentially stacked drawings. Later, laminated removable flooring was developed that mainly replicates wooden removable flooring, except that the decorative surface layer consisted of a printed and impregnated sheet of paper that is applied to a core of wood fiber. Such a floorboard was less expensive than a wooden flooring, and had a more wear-resistant and impact-resistant surface. Removable floorboards of this type are connected only by the edges of the joint, that is, without gluing to the existing subfloor, which may not be completely smooth or even. Any irregularities are eliminated by means of a lining material in the form of, for example, a hard fiberboard, cork or foam material. Thus, they can move freely on the black floor. In the event of changes in relative humidity, the entire flooring swells or shrinks. The advantage of a removable flooring with a surface, such as wood or laminate, is that the joints between the floorboards remain tight, and the ongoing resizing remains hidden under the skirting boards. Such floorboards have a significantly larger surface area than blocks, which contributes to faster laying and rational production. Such conventional removable laminated and wooden flooring is usually joined by tongue and groove joints (i.e., tongue and groove joints on one floorboard and tongue and groove on an adjacent floorboard) on the long side and on the short side. When laying the floorboards are shifted to each other horizontally, and the protruding tongue passing along one edge of the joint of one floorboard is inserted into the tongue groove running along the edge of the joint of the adjacent floorboard. The same method is used with respect to the long side and the short side, and the floorboards are usually laid in parallel rows with the long side to the long side and the short side to the short side.

In addition to such traditional removable flooring, which is joined by glued tongue and groove joints, floorboards have been developed in recent years that do not require the use of glue and are instead mechanically joined using mechanical joint systems. These systems include locking means that block the floorboards in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. Mechanical joint systems can be integrally formed with the floorboard, for example, by machining a portion of the core of the floorboard. Alternatively, parts of the connecting system can be made of a separate material that is connected to the floorboard, that is, connected to the floorboard even during its manufacture in the factory. The floorboards are joined, that is, interconnected or blocked relative to each other using various combinations of rotation relative to each other, snap and insert along the edge of the joint in the connected position. The floorboards are connected in series, that is, the previous floorboard is connected to the other floorboard with one long side and one short side when a new floorboard is connected to the previous one.

The main advantages of removable flooring with mechanical connecting systems are that they can be laid more easily and quickly and with great accuracy with the help of various combinations of connection with turning inward and / or snapping. In contrast to glued flooring, they can also be easily removed and used again elsewhere.

In the following text, the visible surface of the installed floorboard is called the “front side”, while the opposite side of the floorboard facing the black floor is called the “back side”. The sheet source material used in the production is called the “core”. When the core is coated with a surface layer closest to the front side, and usually also a leveling layer closest to the back side, it forms a semi-finished product, which is called a “flooring panel” or “flooring element” in the case when the semi-finished product is divided into a plurality of the above flooring panels. When flooring panels are machined along their edges in such a way as to obtain a complete profile with a joint system, they are called “floorboards”. By “surface layer” is meant all layers applied to the core as close as possible to the front side and, typically, covering the entire front side of the floorboard. By “decorative surface layer” is meant a layer which is mainly intended to give the flooring a decorative appearance. The term "wear-resistant layer" refers to a layer that is mainly adapted to increase the durability of the front side. By the term "laminate flooring" is meant a floorboard with a surface layer of a thermosetting laminate containing one or more sheets of paper impregnated with a thermosetting resin. The wear-resistant layer of laminated flooring, as a rule, consists of a transparent sheet of paper with the addition of alumina impregnated with melamine resin. The decorative layer consists of a melamine-impregnated decorative sheet of paper.

The outer parts of the floorboard at the edge of the floorboard between the front side and the rear side are called the “joint edge”. As a rule, the edge of the joint has several “joined surfaces”, which can be vertical, horizontal, inclined, rounded, beveled, etc. These abutting surfaces exist on different materials, for example, on laminate, wood-fiber material, wood, plastic, metal (especially aluminum) or sealing material. By “joint” or “joint system” is meant cooperative joint means that connect floorboards in a vertical and / or horizontal direction. By "mechanical joint system" is meant that the joint can be carried out without glue in the horizontal direction parallel to the surface and in the vertical direction perpendicular to the surface. In many cases, mechanical joint systems can also be joined with glue. The term "integrated" means that the joint system can be made integrally with the floorboard or from a separate material, which in the factory is connected to the floorboard. By the term "removable flooring" is meant a flooring of floorboards that are only joined by their respective joint edges and thus are not glued to the subfloor. In case of movement due to humidity, the joint remains tight. Moving due to humidity occurs in the outer areas of the flooring along the walls and is hidden under the baseboards. By the term “parquet block” is meant a rectangular floorboard having the shape of a traditional parquet block or strip. The most common format is about 40 cm × 7 cm. However, a parquet block may also have a length of 15-80 cm and a width of 4-10 cm. The term "flooring element" refers to several floorboards that are connected and which make up part of the flooring. The terms “length” and “width” of a floorboard generally mean the length and width of the front side.

The size of the floorboard substantially depends on the material of the floorboard, the machining of the edges, the type of joint system and the installation of the floorboards.

It is usually preferable to make a solid wood floorboard that is small in size, since defects such as cracks, knots, etc., can be cut and wood raw materials can be used more efficiently.

However, most other types of floorboards, especially laminated floorboards, are preferable to produce with large sizes, as this provides better use of raw materials and lower production costs. This is especially advantageous when the floorboards are made of large flooring panels with an artificial surface that, for example, is printed. In this case, of course, it is preferable to reduce the amount of sawdust as much as possible.

Machining the edges of the joint to form floorboards is an expensive operation for all types of flooring materials. It is known that flooring, consisting of large panels with a small number of joints, provides significant savings compared to flooring, which consists of a large number of panels of small sizes. It is also known that the small size of flooring panels can lead to disadvantages of flooring, especially flooring in which the floorboards are rectangular and narrow, as a result of which they have extended joints on the long sides of the narrow panels.

It is known that floorboards of small sizes with mechanical joint systems are more expensive to manufacture than similar panels with traditional sheet pile joining systems. It is also known that mechanical joint systems that provide a high-quality swivel joint due to the greater amount of material required to form the joint system are usually more expensive and require more complex mechanical work than more compact snap-in systems. The manufacturing cost of mechanical connecting systems of any type on the long sides of a rectangular panel is usually higher than the manufacturing cost of mechanical connecting systems of any type on the short sides.

Typically, flooring, which consists of large panels, can be laid faster than flooring, which consists of small flooring panels.

WO 01/66877 describes a system for creating a patterned flooring consisting of laminated floorboards. Two embodiments of the invention are described: the first (Figs. 4a, 4b), in which an integrated connection system is used, and the second (Fig. 5, Fig. 6), in which a separate connection profile is used. The floorboards are only locked by one-piece vertical locking. In the first, integrated version, two different types of floorboards are required, called “covered” and “covered”. The vertical snap-on installation is complex and there is a significant risk that the edges or part of the joint system will be damaged when locking or unlocking. In addition, document WO 01/66877 describes floorboards having dimensions of 1200 mm × 200 mm.

WO 00/20705 describes a system for joining laminated floorboards using a separate joint profile which is connected to the floorboards when they are installed. The connection profile is only adapted for permanent joining of floorboards by snap-fit. The specific objective indicated in document WO 00/20705 is to reduce the amount of waste material in the manufacture of floorboards and, in particular, in the formation of a mechanical joint system.

DE 19718319 C2 describes a solid wood parquet strip having a joint system along its long and short edges for connecting the parquet strip to other parquet strips during installation. However, bonding is necessary, and the purpose of the mechanical connection is to keep the floorboards in the connected state during the curing of the adhesive. Mechanical blocking is carried out only in the horizontal direction. It is indicated that parquet planks have a length of 250-1000 mm and a width of 45-80 mm.

To facilitate understanding and description of the present invention, as well as to familiarize yourself with the problems to which the invention is directed, now with reference to figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings will be given a more detailed description of these specific size-related features and technology of the prior art.

Most of all removable laminated flooring (figa) consists of rectangular floorboards 1 ′ with a length of 4a, which is about 120 cm, and a width of 5a, which is about 20 cm. Thanks to modern printing technology, it is possible to produce laminated flooring, which, from the point of view appearance, very plausibly imitate various natural materials, such as wood and stone. The most common pattern is an imitation of parquet flooring, consisting of blocks of 40. These blocks usually have a width of about 7 cm and a length of 20-40 cm. As a rule, a floorboard contains three rows of parallel blocks whose short sides are offset relative to each other. This means that at least one block 41 on the short side 5a, 5b of the floorboard will be shorter than the other two blocks. When the floorboards are connected (Fig. 1b), an unnatural appearance will be obtained compared to a real traditional parquet flooring, consisting of blocks of the same length, the short sides of which are offset from each other. This also applies to removable wood flooring.

Another problem that leads to an unnatural appearance is related to production technology. This is shown in FIG. Laminate flooring is made by impregnating a printed sheet of paper with melamine resin and applying it to a wood fiber core, forming an element 2 of the flooring. Then, the flooring element 2 is sawn, for example, into ten any flooring panels 3, which are machined along their edges to produce floorboards 1. The machining along the edges is carried out by first processing the long sides 4a, 4b of the panels using the device 101, after which they move to another device 105, which processes the short sides. As a result of impregnation, decorative paper swells in an uncontrolled manner. Swelling and manufacturing tolerances associated with lamination, sawing and machining along the edges, leads to the location of the blocks in different floorboards with a deviation from the desired position. When two floorboards are connected to each other by their short sides, the blocks 41a, 41b can be offset from each other in the transverse direction, and their length can vary significantly (figs). All these circumstances cause big production problems in the manufacture of laminated flooring with a pattern of three blocks.

To solve these problems, a number of costly methods were used to control the production process in the manufacture of laminated flooring. The most common method is that the production process is controlled using modern cameras that automatically measure and position the semi-finished products during the process. Various patterns are also performed by means of a special displacement of the blocks in order to hide positioning defects as much as possible. In wooden flooring, blocks of different lengths and parallel offset are used to hide the shortened blocks on the short side. All methods of the prior art give unsatisfactory results. Removable flooring could be in greater demand if it were possible to create patterns of natural parquet in combination with rational production and installation.

On figa-3d shows examples of mechanical connecting systems that are used in removable flooring. All of these systems produce W waste. This waste increases due to sawing (SB) and due to machining to produce mechanical jointing means. To reduce this waste, the manufacturer tries to make floorboards as large as possible and with as few joints as possible. Therefore, floorboards should be wide and long. Narrow floorboards include many joints per square meter of floor surface. Such narrow laminated floorboards with a width and length corresponding to a traditional parquet block are unknown. The narrowest laminated floorboards have a width exceeding 15 cm and a length exceeding 100 cm. FIG. 3e shows the connection with turning inward, and FIG. 3f shows the snap connection of two adjoining sides 1, 1 ′ of two floorboards.

An object of the present invention is to provide floorboards that can be mechanically connected to make removable flooring with a natural parquet pattern, which, in terms of appearance, corresponds to traditional parquet blocks. Another objective is to obtain suitable joint systems, installation methods and installation patterns for these floorboards.

The invention is based on the fact that modern production technology and mechanical connecting systems in combination with special laying methods make it possible to join very small floorboards quickly and with very high accuracy. The unexpected result was that the flooring, which consists of small floorboards, can be laid almost as quickly and with the same quality as the traditional flooring, made of significantly larger floorboards. It is also possible to provide installation that is faster and with better results than using large floorboards with mechanical joint systems. The reason is that small floorboards have been found to be easier to handle, the friction surfaces along the long sides of the joined parts will be smaller, which facilitates displacement, and finally, snapping the short side can be done with less effort, since the bent parts to ensure snapping They are smaller and create less resistance. An additional advantage is that the short side of the narrow floorboards can be equipped with a joint system that only locks horizontally and does not require a vertical snap. Such a joint system can be performed, for example, by removing the tongue 22 on the short side of the rectangular floorboard with a joint system similar to that shown in FIG. 3b. The narrow short sides (5a, 5b) of the two joined floorboards will nevertheless be held in the required vertical position by the joined long sides (4a, 4b) in the flooring, where the floorboards are laid in parallel rows with the offset of the short sides (see Fig. 9f, 4a -4d). Such a floor can be laid very easily, since laying requires only connecting the long sides with rotation relative to each other. The floorboards can be made with a swivel joint system on the long side and generally without any joint system on the short side. Short sides can be kept joined by friction on the long sides or by gluing and / or nailing floorboards to the subfloor. Such narrow short sides can be installed faster, but with the same high quality as wide short sides. Conversely, wider short sides without any vertical blocking system could increase the risk that the short sides will be warped and the floor will thus be uneven.

The invention is also based on the fact that the manufacturing costs for the manufacture of small floorboards with mechanical joint systems will not necessarily be higher than for the manufacture of large floorboards. Undoubtedly, small floorboards contain a significantly larger number of joints per square meter of floor than large floorboards, and the cost of machining, as well as the amount of waste, is high when using mechanical connecting systems of the prior art. However, these problems can be largely eliminated if floorboards and joint systems are formed according to the invention. Small floorboards imply that you can use a larger amount of raw wood material, since it is easier to make small blocks without knots and defects than large panels. The format of the floorboard and its location in the flooring can also be used to economically create a decorative appearance for the flooring, which is made by sawing an element of the flooring, for example a laminated flooring. When sawing, for example, an element of a flooring of a 2.1 × 2.6 m format with a printed lining pattern, several hundred floorboards can be made. Such small floorboards, which are in the form of parquet blocks, can be connected with various patterns with different laying directions. In this case, you can create a picture of the parquet from blocks, which is impossible when using current technology. The problems of swelling of decorative paper are eliminated, and there is no need for precise positioning and alignment of the pattern after sawing. This reduces production costs. If the floorboards are narrow, any angular errors between the long side and the short side on the narrow floorboard will be less noticeable than on the wide one.

The invention is also based on the fact that it is possible and even preferable to use small floorboards in a format corresponding to, for example, traditional blocks in removable flooring. Such a removable flooring will contain significantly more joints than a traditional flooring, consisting of large panels. A large number of joints per unit area reduces the amount of flooring moving along the walls, since each joint has a certain degree of flexibility. Laminate flooring moves, for example, about 1 mm per meter when relative humidity changes throughout the year. If the floorboards have a width of, for example, 66 mm, there will be 15 joints in each meter. In this case, shrinkage will lead to a gap in the joint between two adjacent upper edges of two floorboards of 0.06 mm, provided that the load prevents the flooring from moving. Such a gap at the junction is invisible. This joint gap should be adapted to the type of flooring. For laminate flooring, a joint gap of 0.01-0.1 mm or more may be sufficient. For a wooden oak flooring, the gap in the joint can be in the range of 0.1-0.2 mm. It can be advantageous if such a gap in the joint can be combined with chamfers on the upper adjacent edges, which in dry conditions hide the gap. Removable flooring, consisting of small floorboards, can thus be laid in large spaces, especially if they are equipped with a connecting system that allows at least some horizontal movement along and / or to the edges of the joint in the connected position. Such a flooring will essentially act as a semi-mobile flooring, in which movement of the entire flooring and movement within the joint system can be used to compensate for moisture changes.

The invention is further based on the fact that narrow floorboards will bend significantly less with a change in relative humidity than wide floorboards. As a result, the flooring is smoother and easier to lay.

The invention is based, moreover, on the fact that the flooring, consisting of many small floorboards, gives more opportunities to achieve high quality installation with invisible gaps in the joints. Laminated and wooden floorboards due to the uneven degree of humidity of the floorboards can bend laterally. Such a “banana shape” can result in visible gaps at the joints. If the length of the floorboards is reduced, for example, from 1200 mm to 400 mm, the joint clearance will be substantially reduced. In addition, narrow floorboards are easier to bend, and in practice, the mechanical joint system will automatically attract the floorboards to each other and completely eliminate the banana shape.

The invention is also based on the fact that the moisture problems that often occur when wooden blocks are glued to the concrete floor can be solved by joining the wooden blocks in a “floating” manner so that a moisture-proof plastic barrier layer can be placed between the wooden flooring and concrete.

The invention is also additionally based on the fact that a very convenient way to create a picture of natural parquet, consisting of wooden blocks, is that the floorboards are made narrow with a width and, in a typical case, also with a length corresponding to the parquet block.

The invention is also based on the fact that it is possible to create a flooring system that consists, for example, of small floorboards, preferably of the same width and preferably of different lengths, the length being even an even multiple of the width, while the floorboards in said flooring system have a mirror image reversed mechanical connecting systems. Such a system of flooring makes it possible to stack all successively stacked patterns that can be obtained using traditional parquet blocks. Laying can be done much faster and with higher accuracy. Such a system of flooring allows you to create sequentially stacked patterns also with a surface layer, which in traditional use can be used only in several versions. The surface layer of woven felt or linoleum can, for example, be glued to a solid wood-fiber board. If such flooring elements are manufactured in different color variations and machined to obtain a flooring system according to the invention, joining different floorboards of different colors can produce various and consistent patterns that cannot be obtained with the original surface layer.

Finally, the invention is based on the fact that the short side of the narrow floorboard should be able to withstand the same load as the significantly wider short side of the floorboard of traditional flooring. The reason is that the point load on an individual row may be the same. For example, the short side 85 mm wide of the flooring of the invention should thus be able to withstand the same load as the short side 200 mm wide of the traditional flooring. The short side must have a strength that can withstand a tensile load of 100 kg or more. The joint systems, which are laid down with a swivel on the short side, offset along the edge of the joint and swiveled down on the long side, are especially suitable for use with narrow floorboards. The reason is that the joint system that is joined with the rotation may be stronger than the joint system that is joined with the snap. The floorboards of the invention may have connecting systems on the long side and on the short side, which can be joined with a downward rotation.

Thus, the above means that according to the invention it is possible to use small floorboards of a format corresponding to traditional parquet blocks, which in an unexpected manner and in contrast to what has been previously considered possible can give advantages when making removable flooring. These advantages significantly prevail over the known disadvantages.

The principles of the invention described above can also be applied to flooring systems containing elements with formats different from traditional parquet blocks. For example, stone reproductions can be made in the formats 200 × 400 mm, 200 × 600 mm, etc. with mirrored connecting systems that can be joined by turning and / or snapping. The floorboards of these formats can be joined in successively stacked patterns, as noted above, with the long side to the long side, the short side to the short side or the long side to the short side.

These tasks are fully or partially achieved with the help of floorboards, flooring systems, floorboard blocks and the methods of laying and manufacturing set forth in the independent claims. The dependent paragraphs and description define embodiments of the invention.

Thus, according to the first aspect of the invention, a rectangular floorboard is obtained for making a removable flooring with a pattern, the floorboard being provided with at least along its opposite long edges integrated connecting means for joining it with the second floorboard so that the upper edge parts of said floorboard and the second floorboard in the docked position together formed a vertical plane. The connecting means is configured to block each other floorboards and the second floorboard in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the specified vertical plane, and the connecting means is configured to block each other floorboards and the second floorboard in the vertical direction perpendicular to the main plane of the specified floorboard. A floorboard is characterized in that the long edge of said floorboard has a length not exceeding 80 cm, and the short edge of said floorboard (1) has a length not exceeding 10 cm.

The flooring made of such small floorboards will provide an improved imitation of the parquet flooring with a classic pattern, since the joints will be consistent with the parquet blocks and will not show any displacements of the pattern or “additional” joints that exist in the well-known parquet or laminated floorings panels. Thus, in comparison with the known parquet floorboards, the problem of two neighboring floorboards having non-matching patterns will be eliminated. Thanks to the integrated mechanical joining system, floorboards are easier to lay than floorboards of classic parquet flooring.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the connecting means may be adapted to block said floorboards and said second floorboards relative to each other, at least by turning inwardly, whereby the upper edges of the joint come into contact with each other. The ability of the connecting means to provide the connection by rotation relative to each other is preferable, since the connecting system that fits into the rotation can be stronger and can be laid easier than the connecting system that is joined by snap.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the connecting means can be adapted to disconnect said floorboard and said second floorboard by turning upward from the subfloor. This separation or unlocking of the floorboards facilitates the stacking, fitting, replacement and reuse of the floorboards.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the second floorboard may be substantially identical to said floorboard. Thus, to obtain flooring it is necessary to produce floorboards of only one type.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the floorboard may have a surface layer containing a thermosetting resin. By supplying the floorboard with such a laminated surface, it is possible to increase its wear resistance in comparison with the wooden surface of the planks for parquet flooring with a classic pattern.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the floorboard may have a surface layer comprising wood or wood veneer. The surface layer of wood or wood veneer will create the appearance and feel of a real wooden parquet flooring and, at the same time, will reduce the cost compared to traditional parquet flooring. Thus, the core of the floorboard can be made of any known material, such as wood tile, high density fiberboard, medium density fiberboard, chipboard, plywood, etc.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the connecting means may be a separate part that extends from the edge of the joint and which is mechanically connected to the core of the floorboard. Such a separate part can be used instead of removing material from the edge of the floorboard to thereby reduce material waste.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the surface of the floorboard may have a decorative finish and shape corresponding to a traditional parquet block 30-80 cm long and 5-10 cm wide.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the edges of the joint located opposite each other in pairs on the long sides of the floorboards may contain a protruding blocking element connected to the floorboard, while the opposite second edge part in this pair contains a blocking groove for accommodating the blocking element of the adjacent floorboard.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the long edge of the floorboard may have a length exceeding 15 cm, and the short edge of the floorboard may have a length exceeding 4 cm.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a removable flooring with a pattern is obtained, moreover, its pattern is formed by corresponding forms of floorboards constituting the flooring with a pattern. The flooring is characterized in that the removable flooring with a pattern contains the floorboards described above.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a block of floorboards is obtained for making removable flooring. The block of floorboards is characterized in that said block contains at least two floorboards described above, wherein these at least two floorboards are arranged such that at least one short edge of the first of the at least two floorboards is aligned relative to at least one short edge of the second of at least two floorboards.

Several embodiments of the invention are possible. The floorboards can be equipped with all prior art mechanical connecting systems. Special blocks of floorboards can be produced, consisting, for example, of 9 floorboards according to the invention, which are connected by three offset parallel rows. Thus, the short sides are not straight and are formed by displaced rows. Such floorboards can be stacked using a combination of a swivel joint on the long side, lateral displacement and snap-fit on the short side. Other options can also be stacked by swiveling on the short side, lateral displacement and swiveling down. Finally, it is also possible to use various combinations of snap-fit or insert along the butt edge on the long side or short side, lateral displacement and snap on the other long side or short side.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a rectangular floorboard having long edges and short edges, the long edges being provided with a connecting system comprising integrated connecting means for joining said floorboard and the second floorboard with each other. The method comprises linearly moving relative to each other a flooring element having dimensions adapted to produce at least two flooring panels and a tool kit for machining a first pair of opposite edge parts of the flooring element to obtain a complete configuration of at least , parts of said short edges of the floorboard, dividing the flooring element into said at least two flooring panels, and linearly mixing relative to each other discharge of said at least two panels of flooring and set of tools for machining a second pair of opposite edge portions of said floor sheathing panels for receiving at least a portion of said coupling system. The manufacturing method described above is particularly suitable for producing small floorboards, such as those described above.

This method provides the rational production of small floorboards. Both the first and second operations can be performed on the same production line. If the floorboards have the same joint systems on the long side and on the short side, you can use one set of tools to process both the long side and the short side. Mirrored floorboards A and B can be made from a panel with a profile for a short side before sawing is reoriented 180 degrees.

The fifth and sixth objects of the present invention provide corresponding flooring systems made of floorboards of the same width but different length, which may be a multiple of the width. According to one embodiment of the invention, the floorboards have mirror-facing connecting systems that can be joined with turning inward. They can be stacked in many different patterns, in which the long sides are connected to the short sides. According to another embodiment of the invention, four different types of floorboards can be used, differing from each other in the length and / or orientation of the joint system (normal - mirror facing).

Seventh and eighth objects of the invention relate to alternative methods of laying flooring using the floorboards described above. Using one of these methods, it is possible to quickly and efficiently lay the flooring of the present invention. According to one alternative embodiment, the floorboards are joined at an angle, while the connecting means come into contact with each other, but in a position that is offset from the end position when the floorboards are in the same plane on the black floor. The floorboard is then shifted to a distance corresponding to its full length relative to the other floorboard in the previous row before the final blocking is performed.

The aforementioned manufacturing and laying technology is particularly suitable for small floorboards, but, of course, can be advantageously used in relation to floorboards of other and large formats.

Below the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which show, by way of example, embodiments of the invention according to its various objects, where:

Figa-c - types of floorboards of the prior art.

Figure 2 is a view illustrating the manufacture of laminated flooring according to prior art technology.

Figa-f - types of examples of known mechanical connecting systems.

Figa-e - types of flooring, corresponding to the present invention.

5a-d are views of connecting systems according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figa-d is a view of a styling method in accordance with the invention.

Figa-e is a view of the laying method corresponding to the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a view illustrating a method for manufacturing floorboards according to the invention.

Figa-f is a view of a flooring system in accordance with the invention.

Figure 10 is a view of the laying of floorboards according to the invention.

11a-16e are views of examples of various patterns and styling methods in accordance with the invention.

17a-17c are views of examples of flooring systems with floorboards according to the invention, in formats and stacking patterns that are suitable for simulating a stone flooring.

Figs 4a-c show views of floorboards 1, 1 ′, long sides 4a, 4b and short sides 5a, 5b of which are provided with mechanical connecting systems. The vertical locking means may comprise, for example, a tongue groove 23 and a tongue 22 (see Fig. 5a). The horizontal locking means may include locking elements 8 that interact with the locking grooves 14. All floorboards are rectangular in shape and have a width corresponding to a traditional parquet block. Thus, the width is about one third of the width of a traditional laminated floorboard. As shown in figa, the surface of the floorboard has the configuration of the parquet block. As shown in FIG. 4b, the surface has a decorative surface layer consisting of two parquet blocks, and in FIG. 4c, the surface layer consists of three parquet blocks. The surface layer may be made of laminate, wood, plastic, linoleum, cork, various fibrous materials such as woven felt, etc. The surface may also be imprinted and / or varnished.

Fig. 4d shows that such floorboards, which may thus consist of one or more blocks, can be combined to form a flooring that naturally forms a brickwork dressing pattern. All units except those located on the outside of the floorboard may be full length. If the floorboard consists of more than one block (fig.4b, 4c), the production requires a certain alignment of the pattern. On the other hand, if the floorboard consists of one block, as shown in FIG. 4a, such alignment of the pattern is not required. The floorboard can be made by sawing an element of the flooring, which has only a pattern composed, for example, of veneer with different shades to simulate wooden blocks made of different logs of the same wood type. In the flooring corresponding to that shown in FIG. 4d, the blocks are offset by a distance corresponding to half their length. Figure 4e shows an example of an offset of one third of the length.

Figures 5a-d show that the amount of waste can be reduced substantially to the amount produced during sawing if the connecting system is made by means of a separate strip 6, which is mechanically fixed with a tongue 38 interacting with the tongue groove 36. The blocking can be carried out by snap into the edge of the joint of the floorboard 1 so that the upper protrusion 20 and the lower protrusion 21 are bent up and down, respectively, when the strip 6 is inserted into the tongue groove 36 of the floorboard 1. The locking element 37 interacts with a locking groove 39. The connection of the strip 6 with the tongue groove 36 can be accomplished in many alternative ways. For example, the locking groove 39 can be made in the lower protrusion 21, and the locking element 37 can be made in the lower front part of the strip 6 to interact with the locking groove 39. The connection of the strip 6 with the edge of the joint of the floorboard can also be carried out by turning inward the strip 6 or snap lanes 6 in any upwardly inclined position. This joint system provides economical production of narrow floorboards without a lot of waste. In FIG. 5a shows an example of a laminated floorboard 1, 1 ′ with a wood fiber core 30 and with a surface layer 31 of a laminate. In this embodiment, the individual strip 6 consists of wood fiber. The material for strip 6 based on wood fiber can be solid wood, plywood, particle board, fiber board such as medium density fiberboard and high density fiberboard, a dense laminate made of impregnated wood fiber thermosetting resin, or similar materials. FIGS. 5a, 5b show a connection system that can be locked by turning inward and snapping, and FIGS. 5c, 5d show a connection system that can be locked by snapping. The elongated portion P2 of the strip 6, which extends beyond the upper part of the edges of the joint, in this embodiment of the invention may be equal to or greater than the thickness T of the flooring. This facilitates blocking by turning around the top of the edges of the joint. A joint system that allows locking and unlocking by turning and which contains a separate strip is particularly advantageous on the long side of the narrow floorboard.

6a-6d show a stacking procedure. The floorboards are rectangular and can be joined mechanically. The laying operation begins, for example, with the laying of the first row R1, connected, for example, by the short sides of the floorboards with rotation relative to each other. The first row, which, in fact, may be possible in flooring, contains the floorboard G1, which is called the first floorboard. The second floorboard G2 in the second row R2 (Fig. 6a) is positioned at an angle A to the first floorboard G1 and its upper joint edge in contact with the joint edge of the first floorboard G1. 6b shows that styling can be facilitated if the wedge-shaped tool WT is used as a support. Then, the new floorboard G3 in the second row R2 is connected by its short side to the short side of the second floorboard G2 in the second row. This connection of the short sides can be accomplished by placing along the edge of the joint of the short side, by turning inward or snapping relative to the edge of the joint of the short side. When turning inward and preferably also when snapping in, this connection is carried out in such a way that the upper edge of the joint of the new floorboard G3 is located at a distance from the upper edge of the joint of the first floorboard G1. When inserting along the edge of the short side joint, this is not necessary since the new floorboard G3 can be placed so that it comes into contact with the first floorboard. The new floorboard G3 can also first be connected to the first floorboard G1 by means of a snap, after which it is displaced in the transverse direction along the long side so that the short side is latched with the short side of the second floorboard G2. Then, both the new G3 and the second floorboard G2 are displaced in the transverse direction (Fig. 6c) along their long sides parallel to the first floorboard G1. The first lateral displacement may be substantially equal to the length 4a of the floorboard. Then, an additional new floorboard G3 ′ can be joined in accordance with FIG. 6d. When essentially the entire row of R2 is full, all floorboards turn and lock. Essentially, all installation can be done in this way.

On figa-7e shows the same styling in a top view. When the new floorboards G3, G3 ′ and G3 ′ ′ are displaced after the turn, the second row R2 is extended. This installation can be repeated until the second floorboard G2 reaches the outer part of the flooring in accordance with fig.7d. The main advantage is that the entire row of R2 can be laid without having to move the floor stacker along the rows of flooring. Due to the weight and flexibility of the floorboards, floorboards that are tilted upward in different ways will be at different angles. They can easily slide in a semi-locked state. This is shown in FIG. 5b. The blocking means 22, 23 and 8, 14 are not completely blocked and thus reduce friction, while the floorboards 1, 1 ′ are prevented from sliding apart from each other due to the blocking element 8, which is partially inserted into the blocking groove 14.

This laying method is especially suitable for small floorboards, but it can also be used with large floorboards. The styling method makes automated styling possible. Another advantage is that this laying method allows automated laying by means of a laying device. According to the invention, which, therefore, also contains a laying device for floorboards, floorboards can be laid using a suitable device, which, for example, consists of the following parts and performs the following functions. The device has a magazine containing a number of new floorboards G3, G3 ′, etc. These floorboards, for example, are stacked on top of each other. It has a first insertion device that first inserts a new floorboard G3 at an angle to the first floorboard G1 in the first row R1. The insertion movement is carried out along the short sides so that the short sides of the second G2 and third G3 of the floorboards are mechanically joined. The device also includes a second insertion device that biases the two joined floorboards in the transverse direction parallel to the first row R1. When the unit moves away from the first row of R1, all floorboards that have not yet reached a position parallel to the subfloor will eventually be tilted down to the subfloor.

On Fig shows a method of manufacturing a flooring with mechanical connecting systems. The flooring element 2 is sawn into new flooring elements 2 ′. These flooring elements are then machined along their long sides, for example, on a machine with two chains. Thus, a semi-finished product is manufactured in the form of a 2 ″ panel with a profile for short sides. This machining, which is thus the rational machining of the long sides of the flooring element, actually forms the short sides 5a, 5b of the floorboards. After this first machining, a panel 2 ″ with a profile for sawing short sides is sawn onto the flooring panel 3, the edges of which are then machined along the long sides 4a, 4b, for example, on a machine with only one chain. The method is based on the fact that production, in contrast to current production, is carried out in such a way that the long sides are processed last and a special sawing or separation operation is performed between machining the short side of the floorboard and machining its long side. Thus, the method assumes that the short sides can be made in large format very rationally, even if the floorboards are narrow. Current machines work with lower productivity, since the machining of the short sides is carried out by means of cams on chains, and this means that the floorboards are processed at a distance from each other, which is indicated in figure 2 by the position D. The risk of corner errors between the long side and the short side can be significantly less than with traditional production. Any lateral distortions that may occur in connection with sawing to obtain flooring panels can be eliminated by aligning the floorboards with the RL guide before machining the long sides.

If the floorboard has a width of 85 mm and a length of 6 × 85 = 510 mm, machining the long sides will require a processing time that is six times longer than machining the short sides. An efficient production line may consist of a machine for making a profile of short sides and a saw unit and a plurality of machines for making a profile of long sides, for example six.

Mirrored connecting systems can be made, for example, by turning the 2 ″ panel before cutting 180 degrees. Alternatively, the flooring panel 3 may be rotated accordingly after sawing.

The machining of long sides and short sides can be carried out on the same machine and using one set of tools. Several options are possible. For example, long sides can be machined first. In this case, the flooring element has a length corresponding to several floorboards and a width corresponding to one floorboard. After the first machining, the flooring element is divided into several flooring panels, the edges of which are then machined along the short sides.

On figa-9e shows the flooring system, which consists of floorboards of two different formats with mirror-facing mechanical connecting systems, which can be joined by turning inward on the long sides and on the short sides.

On figa shows a connecting system, which in this embodiment of the invention is made integrally with the core of the floorboard and which is designed so that the long side can be joined with the short side. The vertical blocking is carried out by means of the tongue 22 and the groove 23. The horizontal blocking is carried out by means of the strip and the blocking element 8 on one of the floorboards 1, which interacts with the blocking groove 12 in the other floorboard 1 ′. Preferably, the connecting systems are substantially identical on both the long side and the short side. In this embodiment, the connecting systems are identical. However, it should be noted that the invention can also be applied with floorboards with different joining systems and / or joining systems containing separate materials or materials other than the core material. Such differences may exist between different floorboards and / or long side and short side. The connecting system can dock by turning inward. In this embodiment, the joint system can withstand a high tensile load corresponding to approximately 100 kg in a joint system having a length along the edge of the joint of 100 mm. The blocking element 8 has a significant value vertically VT and horizontally NT. In this embodiment, the vertical VT value is 0.1 thickness T of the flooring, and the horizontal NT value is 0.3 thickness T of the flooring.

9b shows a floorboard 41A having a width of 1M and a length of 6M, which is 6 times the width. It may be preferable if the dimensional accuracy can be less than 0.1 mm and can even be within a tolerance of 0.05 mm or less. With the use of modern machines, tolerances of 0.02 mm can be achieved. Fig. 9c shows an identical floorboard 41B, characterized in that the connecting system is mirrored. The floorboards 41A and 41B have the same short sides 22, 23 with a tongue and groove. The long side of the floorboard 41A has a tongue 22 on the side where the floorboard 42B has a groove. Thus, the connecting systems are mirrored.

Such a flooring system allows sequential stacking of patterns, since long sides can be connected to short sides, and the laying direction can be changed. A modular system with a length that is an exact multiple of the width increases the possibilities of variation.

Figures 9d and 9e show corresponding floorboards of length 9M, which in this embodiment is, for example, nine times the width of 1M. In addition, if the flooring system consists of floorboards of different lengths, you can get even more sequentially stacked patterns.

Obviously, within the framework of the above principles, a number of options are possible. 9f shows two short sides 5a and 5b of two abutting edges of the floorboards. In this embodiment, only horizontal locking is carried out by the strip 6, the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12. Such floorboards can have a connecting system on the long sides, as shown in figa, and they can be laid in parallel rows. If the floorboards have mirror-reversed joint systems, as described above, they can be laid in a Christmas tree pattern with the long side toward the short side. Floorboards can have many different sizes of length and width. The flooring system may consist of three or more floorboards of different sizes, and the floorboards may have the same width but arbitrary length. Some floorboards may have a width of 1M and others 2M or more. The floorboards need not have parallel sides. For example, the short sides can be made at an angle of 45 degrees to the long sides. Such production can be carried out rationally on a machine with two chains, where the cams of the chains are shifted so that the floorboards will pass the milling cutters at an angle of, for example, 45 degrees. Thus, other possible angles can also be obtained.

10 shows examples of how floorboards 41A can be connected to an already laid floorboard 42B with a long side to a short side by turning inward. According to the invention, the long sides of the floorboards 41A are joined by turning inward. Such a floorboard, called the second floorboard 41A, is in the initial laying phase in an upwardly inclined position relative to the first pre-laid floorboard 42B in the first row. The short side of this second floorboard 41A comes into contact with the long side of the already laid first floorboard 42B. Preferably, a support WT is used to hold this and already laid floorboards in the second row in an upwardly inclined position. The new floorboard 41A ′ is connected by turning its long side with the second floorboard 41A in the second row, which is perpendicular to the first laid floorboard 42B. The new floorboard 41A, which is connected to the second floorboard 41A, is then displaced along the edge of the joint in a connected state until its upper edge of the short side comes into contact with the edge of the long side of the first floorboard 42B. Then the entire second row of floorboards 41A, 41A ′ is turned down to the subfloor. If an appropriate stacking procedure is used, patterns can be stacked sequentially by using this double-turn joining method. The joint system gains greater strength, and large flooring can be laid without compensating joints between sections of the flooring.

11 a shows how floorboards 41A and 42A of different lengths can be combined in the flooring section FU of the flooring system so that all rows are of the same length and the entire flooring section FU has a joint system on all sides.

11b and 11c show how the length of the flooring section FU can be changed by combining floorboards of different lengths. The length of the flooring section may vary in steps equal to half the length of the shortest floorboard. The width may vary due to the number of rows, as shown in FIG. 11c.

On figa shows how the section FU flooring can be adapted to the size of the room so that it was possible to form a decorative frame from sawn floorboards 41a, which can be used to finalize the flooring to the size of the room. To create a decorative pattern, floorboards 41A and 41B are used with mirror-facing connecting systems. Positions 01-04 indicate the laying procedure that can be used to join the floorboards using the double-turn method. After laying the FU section in parallel rows of floorboards of different lengths, the mirrored floorboard 41B is connected to the short sides of the flooring section 02. This floorboard has a length which in this alternative corresponds to a width of six floorboards. Then, the vertical rows 03 are joined in a double rotation manner, and finally, the laying of the flooring is completed by horizontal rows 04, also joined in this way.

Of course, these and other patterns can also be stacked using a combination of swivel, offset and snap, or just snap, offset and snap. In addition, an insert connection along the edge of the joint can be used. The joint system on the short sides without a tongue shown in FIG. 9f allows stacking only with rotation on the long sides.

12b shows an embodiment which in this case comprises a plurality of mirror-facing floorboards 41B. Laying can also be carried out as described above, for example, in accordance with laying procedure 01-09.

One condition for the above laying flooring with high quality and without visible gaps in the joints is that the floorboards should be made with high dimensional accuracy. Preferably, a certain degree of flexibility can be given to each joint, so that manufacturing tolerances are balanced. In this context, it is preferable to have a gap P between the blocking surfaces of the blocking element 8 and the blocking groove 12, shown in FIGS. 9a and 9f, for example 0.05 mm. Such a gap P does not cause a visible gap at the junction. To hide the gap in the joint, as well as to remove parts of the hard surface layer so that the upper edges of the joint are more flexible and can be compressed, chamfering 133 at the upper edges of the joint can also be used.

On figa shows another pattern that can be laid according to the method with double rotation in the order 01-07. A pattern can be created using only one type of floorboards, which may not have mirror-reversed joint systems.

On figa-b shows a rhombic pattern with offset elements of the rhombuses, which can be laid by connecting the first floorboards in two sections FU 1 and FU 2 flooring. Then these two sections of the flooring are connected to each other, for example, by turning inward.

On figa-c shows alternative patterns that can be created using the above flooring system and laying methods.

Figures 16a-b show "Christmas tree" patterns that can be stacked by connecting the long sides with an inward rotation and connecting the short sides with snapping-in with the long sides. Laying can be done in many different ways, for example by turning only on long sides. In Fig. 16, the flooring is laid by both the side 23 with the groove and the side 22 with the tongue in the direction of the laying ID. Even more convenient, if the laying is carried out only by the side 23 with a groove in the laying direction, as shown in fig.16b.

On figs-e shows the drawings "in the tree" in two and three blocks.

On figa-c shows how you can create the appropriate patterns when using floorboards having a format that mimics, for example, stone. The floorboards have a decorative groove DG on one long side and one short side, which is made, for example, by removing part of the outer decorative layer so that other parts of the surface layer located under the decorative layer or core become visible.

On figs shows how you can dock mirrored floorboards sequentially stacked patterns, in which decorative grooves after laying frame the floorboards.

It should be noted that the invention can be applied with even smaller floorboards, blocks or stripes than those described above. Such strips may have, for example, a width of 2 cm and a length of 10 cm. The invention can also be used to make very narrow flooring panels, for example, about 1 cm wide or less, which can be used to connect different sections of the flooring or for decorative purposes.

Claims (5)

1. A flooring comprising rectangular floorboards (1) with a wood veneer surface to obtain a removable flooring with a pattern, the floorboards (1) containing integrated first and second connecting means along the opposing long edges (4a, 4b) for connecting one floorboard to each other with the second floorboard (1 '), so that the upper edge parts of the floorboard (1) and the second floorboard (1') in the connected state together form a vertical plane (VP), while the first connecting means contain upward a locking element on one long side interacting with a locking groove on the other long side of the second floorboard to block the floorboards (1) and the second floorboard (1 ') relative to each other in the horizontal direction (D2) perpendicular to the vertical plane (VP), and the second connecting means comprise a tongue and groove for locking the floorboards (1) and the second floorboard (1 ') relative to each other in the vertical direction (D1) perpendicular to the main plane of the floorboards (1, 1'), characterized in that the long edge (4a, 4b) gender vic (1, 1 ') has a length not exceeding 80cm and a short edge (5a, 5b) of the floorboard (1) has a length not exceeding 10 cm, wherein the short side has a locking system, which only locks horizontally. 2. The flooring according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting means is adapted to block said floorboards and said second floorboards relative to each other, at least by turning inward, as a result of which the upper edges of the joint come into contact with each other. 3. The flooring according to claim 2, characterized in that the connecting means is arranged to unlock said floorboard and said second floorboard by turning upward from the subfloor. 4. The flooring according to any one of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the second floorboard (1 ') is made essentially identical to the floorboard (1). 5. A rectangular floorboard (1) for obtaining a removable flooring with a pattern with a wood veneer surface in accordance with claim 1, wherein the floorboard (1) contains integrated first and second connecting means along opposite long edges (4a, 4b) for interconnecting one floorboard with the second floorboard (1 '), so that the upper edge parts of the floorboard (1) and the second floorboard (1') in the connected state together form a vertical plane (VP), while the first connecting means contain upwardly protruding blocks a locking element on one long side interacting with a blocking groove on the other long side of the second floorboard to block the floorboards (1) and the second floorboard (1 ') relative to each other in the horizontal direction (D2) perpendicular to the vertical plane (VP), and the second connecting means comprise a tongue and groove for locking the floorboards (1) and the second floorboard (1 ') relative to each other in a vertical direction (D1) perpendicular to the main plane of the floorboards (1, 1'), characterized in that the long edge (4a, 4b) floorboards (1, 1 ') has a length not exceeding 80 cm, and the short edge (5a, 5b) of the floorboard (1) has a length not exceeding 10 cm, and the short side has a connecting system that only blocks horizontally.

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