Panel for Composing a Floor Covering or Wall Covering, Panel System, and Method

Abstract

The invention relates to a panel for composing a floor covering or wall covering. The invention also relates to a panel system including at least one panel according to the invention. The invention further relates to a method of composing a covering, in particular a floor covering, by using a panel system according to the invention.

1 - 75 . (canceled) 
     
     
         76 . A panel for composing a floor covering or wall covering, comprising:
 a first edge which comprises a plurality of first coupling profiles, and   a second edge located opposed to the first edge, which comprises a plurality of second coupling profiles, wherein each second coupling profile is configured to engage interlockingly with at least one first coupling profile of an adjacent panel, both in horizontal direction and in vertical direction,   wherein said first edge and/or said second edge comprises at least one drainage segment which is free of coupling profiles to facilitate flow-through of water in between the first edge of said panel and a facing second edge of an adjacent panel, in coupled condition of said panels, and   wherein the lower side of the panel comprises at least one bottom groove connecting the first edge and the second edge, wherein said bottom groove is configured to accommodate a separate support structure for supporting said panel.   
     
     
         77 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein at least one drainage segment is enclosed by adjacent coupling profiles. 
     
     
         78 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein at least one edge of the first edge and second edge comprises at least three coupling profiles, wherein a drainage segment is present in between each pair of adjacent first coupling profiles. 
     
     
         79 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein at least one drainage segment is substantially delimited by a vertical plane defined by the corresponding edge. 
     
     
         80 . The panel according to  claim 76 , the first edge comprises at least one first drainage segment, and wherein the second edge comprises at least one second drainage segment, wherein at least one first drainage segment is at least partially aligned with at least one second drainage segment, such that said first drainage segment of said panel is facing said second drainage segment of an adjacent panel, in coupled condition of said panels. 
     
     
         81 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein the length of at least one drainage segment exceeds the length of at least one adjacent coupling profile. 
     
     
         82 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein at least one first coupling profile comprises:
 a sideward tongue extending in a direction substantially parallel to a plane defined by the panel, wherein an upper side of said sideward tongue comprises at least one first locking element, such as an upwardly protruding locking element; and   wherein at least one second coupling profile comprises:   a groove configured for accommodating at least a part of the sideward tongue of at least one first coupling profile of an adjacent panel, said groove being defined by an upper lip and a lower lip, wherein said lower lip extends beyond said upper lip, and wherein a lower side of said upper lip comprises at least one second locking element, such as a downwardly facing recess, configured to face, and preferably co-act with, the first locking element of an adjacent panel, in coupled condition of said panels to interlock the panels in horizontal direction, wherein the first and second coupling profile are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a turning movement, wherein, in coupled condition: at least a part of the sideward tongue of a first panel is inserted into the groove of an adjacent, second panel, and wherein at least one second locking element of said first panel faces, and preferably co-acts with, the first locking element of said adjacent panel to interlock both panels both in horizontal and vertical direction.   
     
     
         83 . The panel according to  claim 82 , wherein the lower lip comprises an inner segment, which is positioned directly below the upper lip, and a connecting outer segment, which extends beyond an outer vertical plane defined by the upper lip, wherein the maximum height of the inner segment is identical to or exceeds the maximum height of the outer segment. 
     
     
         84 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein each pair of at least one pair of adjacent first coupling profiles and at least one pair of opposing adjacent second coupling profiles encloses an accommodating space for accommodating a separate support structure for supporting said panel, wherein accommodating spaces are aligned with each other, wherein at least one accommodating space and/or at least one bottom groove comprises at least one third coupling profile configured to interlockingly engage with at least one fourth coupling profile of said separate support structure, in horizontal direction and/or vertical direction. 
     
     
         85 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein the lower side of the panel comprises at least one transverse bottom groove connecting the first edge and the second edge, wherein said transverse bottom groove, is configured to accommodate a separate support structure for supporting said panel, and wherein the bottom groove is connected and aligned with a pair of opposing, aligned accommodating spaces to form a continuous accommodating groove for accommodating a part of said separate support structure. 
     
     
         86 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein the panel is a hollow panel, which encloses at least one internal, linear channel connecting a third edge and a fourth edge, wherein said internal channel is located at a distance from both the lower side of the panel and the upper side of the panel, and wherein each of the third edge and fourth edge connects the first edge and the second edge. 
     
     
         87 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein the panel is at least partially composed of at least one polymer material wherein said polymer material is enriched with at least one filler chosen from the group consisting of: wood chips, wood dust, wood fibre, hemp fibre, bamboo, cotton, coffee, glass fibre, and mineral fillers, such as talc, chalk, limestone (calcium carbonate), and marble dust. 
     
     
         88 . The panel according to  claim 76 , wherein the panel is an outdoor decking panel. 
     
     
         89 . A covering composed of a plurality of interconnected panels according to  claim 76 . 
     
     
         90 . A panel system for composing a floor covering or wall covering, in particular for outdoor use, comprising:
 at least one panel according to  claim 76 , and   at least one first support structure configured to be partially accommodated within at least one pair of aligned accommodating spaces and/or bottom groove applied in the lower side of said panel.   
     
     
         91 . The panel system according to  claim 90 , wherein at least one accommodating space and/or at least one bottom groove of at least one panel comprises at least one third coupling profile, and wherein said first support structure comprises at least one fourth coupling profile configured to interlockingly engage with said third coupling profile, in horizontal direction and/or vertical direction. 
     
     
         92 . The panel system according to  claim 90 , wherein the panel system comprises a plurality of interlockable or interlocked panels, wherein first coupling profiles of at least one panel are configured to engage interlockingly with second coupling profiles of at least one other panel, such that pairs of aligned accommodating spaces of adjacent panels are aligned with each other and/or such that bottom grooves of adjacent panels are aligned with each other to collectively accommodate a part of at least one first support structure. 
     
     
         93 . The panel system according to  claim 90 , wherein the panel system comprises a plurality of first support structures, wherein a plurality of first support surface is oriented at a distance from each other and in a parallel manner, wherein each first support structure interlockingly engages with a plurality of mutually interlocked panels. 
     
     
         94 . The panel system according to  claim 90 , wherein at least one support structure comprises levelling feet, such as levelling screws, to level the support structure onto a subfloor. 
     
     
         95 . A method of composing a covering, in particular a floor covering, by using a panel system according to  claim 90 , comprising the steps of:
 A) providing a plurality of panels,   B) providing a plurality of first support structures,   C) optionally providing a plurality of second support structures,   D) interlocking at least two panels by coupling the first coupling profiles of a panel to the second coupling profiles of an adjacent panel,   E) positioning the first support structures onto a subfloor, such as a stabilized sand bed, and optionally positioning the second support structures, if applied, onto said subfloor, and   F) interlocking the interlocked panels with said first support structure by coupling the third coupling profiles of the panels to the fourth coupling profiles of the first support structures, in particular by sliding the assembly of interlocked panels in a direction parallel to a plane defined by said panels.   
     
     
         96 . The method according to  claim 95 , wherein the method comprises step G) comprising the step of levelling each support structure with respect to the subfloor, wherein step G) is performed prior to step F).