Set of floor panels and method for installing this set of floor panels

Abstract

A set of floor panels that are elongate rectangular and include a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges. Both the long and the short edges are provided with mechanical coupling parts which allow the floor panels to be coupled together in such a way that a herringbone pattern may be produced.

1 .- 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A set of floor panels, wherein these floor panels are elongate rectangular and therefore comprise a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges;
 wherein both the long and the short edges are provided with mechanical coupling parts which allow the floor panels from the set to be coupled together;   wherein the one long edge is provided with a male coupling part and the other long edge is provided with a female coupling part;   wherein the one short edge is provided with a male coupling part and the other short edge is provided with a female coupling part;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge can be fitted into the female coupling part on the long edge of a floor panel of the set by means of a rotating movement;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge can also be fitted into the female coupling part on the short edge of a floor panel from the set by means of a rotating movement; and   wherein the male coupling part on the short edge can be fitted into the female coupling part on the long edge in one and the same rotating movement which is used to fit the male coupling part on the long edge into the female coupling part on the long or short edge;   wherein the male coupling part on the short edge and the female coupling part on the long edge comprise interlocking parts which, in a mutually coupled position of such a short edge and long edge, bring about an interlocking in a horizontal direction and an interlocking in a vertical direction;   wherein the female coupling part on the long edge and on the short edge comprises a lateral groove which is delimited by an upper lip and a bottom lip, the bottom lip of which extends distally beyond the upper lip and is provided with an upwardly pointing interlocking part;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge is provided with a tongue which, in the coupled position, can cooperate with the abovementioned lateral groove in order to bring about a vertical interlocking; and   wherein the set of floor panels comprises at least one pair of interlocking portions in order to bring about the abovementioned vertical interlocking of the male coupling part on the short edge into the female coupling part on the long edge,   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge may be fitted into the female coupling part on the short edge of a floor panel from the set by means of a horizontal sliding movement with snap-fit effect;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge may be fitted into the female coupling part on the long edge of a floor panel of the set by means of a horizontal sliding movement with snap-fit effect.   
     
     
         27 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the male coupling part on the long edge and the female coupling part on the short edge are configured in such a way that when horizontally sliding a first panel from the set of floor panels with respect to a second panel from the set of floor panels in order to couple the male coupling part on the long edge of the first panel to the female coupling part on the short edge of the second panel, when sliding the bottom side of the tongue of the male coupling part on the long edge over the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the short edge, the tongue of the male coupling part on the long edge is guided in the groove of the female coupling part on the short edge. 
     
     
         28 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the male coupling part on the long edge and the female coupling part on the short edge are configured such that, when horizontally sliding a first panel from the set of floor panels with respect to a second panel from the set of floor panels to couple the male coupling part on the long edge of the first panel to the female coupling part on the short edge of the second panel, when sliding the bottom side of the tongue of the male coupling part on the long edge over the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the short edge, the tongue of the male coupling part on the long edge is guided in the groove of the female coupling part on the short edge,
 wherein no deformation of the tongue of the male coupling part on the long edge and no deformation of the bottom lip of the female coupling part on the short edge is required in order to insert this tongue into this groove.   
     
     
         29 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein, when coupling the male coupling part on the long edge of a panel from the set by means of a horizontal sliding movement with snap-fit effect into the female coupling part on the short edge of a floor panel, a bending and returning of the bottom lip of the female coupling part on the short edge takes place. 
     
     
         30 . A set of floor panels, optionally in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein these floor panels are elongate rectangular and therefore comprise a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges;
 wherein both the long and the short edges are provided with mechanical coupling parts which allow the floor panels from the set to be coupled together;   wherein the one long edge is provided with a male coupling part and the other long edge is provided with a female coupling part;   wherein the one short edge is provided with a male coupling part and the other short edge is provided with a female coupling part;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge can be fitted into the female coupling part on the long edge of a floor panel of the set by means of a rotating movement;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge can also be fitted into the female coupling part on the short edge of a floor panel from the set by means of a rotating movement; and   wherein the male coupling part on the short edge can be fitted into the female coupling part on the long edge in one and the same rotating movement which is used to fit the male coupling part on the long edge into the female coupling part on the long or short edge;   wherein the male coupling part on the short edge and the female coupling part on the long edge have interlocking parts which, in a mutually coupled position of such a short edge and long edge, bring about an interlocking in a horizontal direction and an interlocking in a vertical direction;   wherein the female coupling part on the long edge and on the short edge comprises a lateral groove which is delimited by an upper lip and a bottom lip, the bottom lip of which extends distally beyond the upper lip and is provided with an upwardly pointing interlocking part;   wherein the male coupling part on the long edge is provided with a tongue which, in the coupled position, can cooperate with the abovementioned lateral groove in order to bring about a vertical interlocking; and   wherein the set of floor panels comprises at least one pair of interlocking portions in order to bring about the abovementioned vertical interlocking of the male coupling part on the short edge into the female coupling part on the long edge,   wherein the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the long edge and/or the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the short edge, in cross section at right angles to the respective edge, comprises a point which is situated closest to the top side of the panel, and   wherein, when running through the section of this interlocking part proximally from this point, from proximally from this interlocking part to the distal end of this interlocking part, the distance to the level of the surface of the floor panel becomes continuously smaller,   wherein the same face may be used proximally to the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the long edge and/or of the female coupling part on the short edge for horizontal interlocking both with a male coupling part on the long edge and with a male coupling part on the short edge.   
     
     
         31 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 30 , wherein the slope of this section always runs distally. 
     
     
         32 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the angle between the bottom lip of the female coupling part on the long edge and the proximal flank of the interlocking part of the female coupling part on the long edge is greater than 90° everywhere,
 wherein this angle is the angle outside the material of the floor panel, 
 wherein this angle is between 100° and 135° in the bending point of this proximal flank. 
 
     
     
         33 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 32 , wherein the angle between the bottom lip of the female coupling part on the short edge and the proximal flank of the interlocking part of the female coupling part on the short edge is greater than 90° everywhere,
 wherein this angle is the angle outside the material of the floor panel, 
 wherein this angle is between 100° and 135° in the bending point of this proximal flank. 
 
     
     
         34 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein at least one pair of interlocking portions, in order to bring about the abovementioned vertical interlocking of the male coupling part of the short edge into the female coupling part on the long edge, comprises a first interlocking portion on this male coupling part and a second interlocking portion on the female coupling part which cooperates with the former in the coupled position;
 wherein the abovementioned second interlocking portion which is present on the female coupling part is situated on the proximal side of the abovementioned upwardly pointing interlocking part.   
     
     
         35 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 34 , wherein the abovementioned second interlocking portion consists of an undercut, in the form of a sloping surface under which the first interlocking portion may engage. 
     
     
         36 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 34 , wherein the male coupling part of the short edge and the female coupling part on the long edge are configured in such a way that the first interlocking portion can be brought behind the second interlocking portion by means of a downward movement of the male coupling part of the short edge, more particularly by means of a downward snap-fit movement. 
     
     
         37 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the male coupling part on the short edge comprises a flange which extends laterally at the top and which has a downwardly extending interlocking part, and in that, for the abovementioned vertical interlocking, an additional pair of interlocking portions is provided, one interlocking portion of which is situated on the distal end of the abovementioned flange and/or downwardly extending interlocking part, while the other interlocking portion is then situated on the opposite floor panel,
 wherein there is a pretension in the contact surface between the proximal end of the downwardly extending interlocking part of the male coupling part on the short edge and the upwardly pointing interlocking part of the female coupling part on the long edge between the male coupling part on the short edge and the female coupling part on the long edge in the coupled position, by an overlap of the profiled sections of these interlocking parts in the uncoupled position.   
     
     
         38 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein, for the abovementioned vertical interlocking of the male coupling part on the short edge into the female coupling part on the long edge, at least one pair of interlocking portions is provided, namely a first interlocking portion on this male coupling part and a second interlocking portion on the female coupling part which cooperates with the former in the coupled position,
 wherein the abovementioned second interlocking portion which is present on the female coupling part is situated on the distal end of the bottom lip and/or of the upwardly pointing interlocking part, whereas the other abovementioned first interlocking portion is situated on the opposite floor panel.   
     
     
         39 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 38 , wherein the interlocking portion which is situated on the distal end of the abovementioned bottom lip and/or of the upwardly pointing interlocking part consists of a projection or recess, whereas the interlocking portion which cooperates with the latter then consists of a recess or projection, respectively, in which case such a projection may consist of a bulge-shaped portion. 
     
     
         40 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the coupling parts on all four edges are integrally formed from the material of the floor panels. 
     
     
         41 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the female coupling part on the short edge and the female coupling part on the long edge are substantially congruent and are identical to each other. 
     
     
         42 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein, on the underside of the female part of the long edge and/or of the short edge, a recess is present which makes elastic bending during assembly easier. 
     
     
         43 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the bottom lip of the female coupling part on the long edge comprises a first support surface and a second support surface situated at a different distance from the bottom side of the panel,
 wherein the first support surface and the second support surface, in the coupled position with another panel, are both situated proximally from an open space between the bottom lip and either the bottom side of the tongue or the bottom side of the downwardly extending interlocking part of the other panel, wherein the first support surface is situated proximally from the second support surface,   wherein the first support surface is provided for making contact with the bottom side of the tongue of a male coupling part on the long edge of a coupled panel,   wherein the second support surface is a potential or actual support surface for the bottom side of the downwardly extending interlocking part of the male coupling part on the short edge.   
     
     
         44 . The set of floor panels in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein it comprises two types of floor panels which are configured in such a way that a herringbone pattern may be produced,
 wherein the coupling parts of the two types of floor panels are mirrored with respect to each other.   
     
     
         45 . A method for installing a set of floor panels, wherein a set according to  claim 44  is used, and in that a herringbone pattern is produced.