Self Locking Flooring Panels

Abstract

A new interlocking or interconnection mechanism for securing floor covering panels is invented, whereas the covering panels can be any sizes, shapes, structures, and of any materials. The mechanism is consisted of independent features rendering the vertical and the lateral couplings, where vertical is defined as the direction perpendicular to the surface of the panel that is exposed and lateral is defined as the direction parallel to the exposed surface. The new mechanism provides a gradual progressive tightening effect during the installation process for securing the panels, which is completely different from the outcome by all the existing mechanisms including tongue-and-groove, snap-on, etc.

4 . Flooring system comprising a number of abutting floor panels having mutual interlocking means, said interlocking means comprising at least one male locking component protruding at a lateral side of a floor panel and locking into at least one female locking component at an adjacent lateral side of an adjacent floor panel, wherein said male and female locking component provide lateral interlocking and interconnection of floor panels substantially parallel to an exposed surface of said floor panels, and wherein said interlocking means further comprise at least one insertion lip at a lateral side of a floor panel which is received by at least one insertion receptacles in an adjacent lateral side of an adjacent floor panel, which insertion lip and insertion receptacle provide transverse interlocking and interconnection of said floor panels, substantially perpendicular to said exposed surface of said floor panels. 
     
     
         5 . Flooring system according to claim  1  characterized in that said female locking component comprises a sink at said adjacent lateral side of said adjacent floor panel and said male locking component resides in said sink in a close fitting relationship. 
     
     
         6 . Flooring system according to claim  2 , characterized in that said sink has a transverse depth extending over part of a thickness of said floor panel, in that said sink opens at a back surface of said panel opposite said exposed surface, and in that said male locking component has a transverse thickness which is at most said transverse depth. 
     
     
         7 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said insertion lips protrude from said lateral side over a distance which is less than approximately one and a half a thickness of said panel, while said insertion receptacle has a lateral depth which is at least said distance. 
     
     
         8 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said male locking component has an edge that locks behind and contacts a corresponding edge of said female locking component. 
     
     
         9 . Flooring system according to  claim 5  characterized in that said edges have curvatures, which generate gradual progressive compression forces on engaging each other. 
     
     
         10 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one insertion lips and said at least one female locking components reside at a same lateral side of a floor panel. 
     
     
         11 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one insertion receptacle and said at least one male locking component reside at a same lateral side of a floor panel. 
     
     
         12 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said interlocking means are formed by mechanical machining of a floor panel or through the adhesion of a top layer to a bottom substrate. 
     
     
         13 . Flooring system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one male locking component and said at least one insertion lip have either a planar top surface or non-planar top surface and define a circumference of one of various designs, including arcs and curvatures, multiple arcs and curvatures, slants, and multiple slants. 
     
     
         14 . Floor panel for use in the flooring system according to one or more of the preceding claims.