US20060162271A1

US20060162271A1 - Floor panel

Info

Publication number: US20060162271A1
Application number: US11/330,894
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralf Eisermann
Original assignee: Akzenta Paneele and Profile GmbH
Current assignee: Akzenta Paneele and Profile GmbH
Priority date: 2005-01-12
Filing date: 2006-01-12
Publication date: 2006-07-27
Also published as: WO2006074634A1; DE102005001630A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a floor panel (1) comprising a carrier panel portion (2, 24, 33, 43, 50 a) that is provided at a top side with a duty layer arrangement (3, 25, 34, 44), which duty layer arrangement (3, 25, 34, 44) has at least one decorative layer (D) and edge locking profiles (6 a, 6 b, 7 a, 7 b) at at least two mutually opposite edges of the floor panel, wherein at least one edge locking profile (6 a, 6 b, 7 a, 7 b) has at least one elastically bendable locking means (V, V1, V2), and wherein material is removed at least at one side edge portion at the top side of the floor panel and formed thereby is an obtuse edge (8, 9) with a protection surface (8 a, 9 a), and wherein the protection surface (8 a, 9 a) of the obtuse edge (8, 9) is provided with a coating, wherein at least the decorative layer (D) of the duty layer arrangement (3, 25, 34, 44) is bent over at the side edge portion of the floor panel and that the coating on the protection surface (8 a, 9 a) of the obtuse edge (8, 9) is formed by the bent-over decorative layer (D).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a floor panel comprising a carrier panel portion that is provided at a top side with a duty layer arrangement, which duty layer arrangement has at least one decorative layer and edge locking profiles at at least two mutually opposite edges of the floor panel, wherein at least one edge locking profile has at least one elastically bendable locking means, and wherein material is removed at least at one side edge portion at the top side of the floor panel and formed thereby is an obtuse edge with a protection surface, and wherein the protection surface of the obtuse edge is provided with a coating.
2. Description of the Background
A floor panel of the general kind set forth is known from WO 01/96688 A1. It has a groove-and-tongue connection with an undercut configuration that is intended to prevent joined floor panels from moving away from each other. The walls of the groove project from the edge of the floor panel by differing distances. That groove wall, which projects further from the edge of the floor panel, forms the elastically bendable locking means of the known floor panel.
Material has been removed at the side edge portion at the top side of the known floor panel. The material removal extends into the material of the carrier panel portion. The carrier panel portion is preferably a wood fiber panel. The obtuse edge is in the form of a 45° bevel in accordance with WO 01/96688 A1. A beveled edge as a protection surface is less susceptible to damage than a right-angled edge without material having been removed. The coating on the bevel of the known floor panel must be applied, for example, as a separate color print in a transfer printing process or a self-adhesive strip is applied.
There is the disadvantage here that the coating on the protection surface is very expensive. In addition, the quality of the coating on the protection surface differs from the quality of the duty layer arrangement, which is arranged on the top side of the floor panel.
Furthermore, the separate layers, more specifically the duty layer arrangement and the coating on the protection surface, form a seam or a butt joint. That joint is susceptible to damage by virtue of one layer or the other being peeled off. In the case of the coating of WO 01/96688 A1 that applies to a particular degree to the coating on the protection surface because it extends over the edge of the duty layer arrangement and reaches the surface of the duty layer arrangement. Admittedly, on the one hand the susceptibility to damage of the upper edge of the known floor panel is reduced by the provision of a 45° bevel. On the other hand, however, there is a detrimental butt joint in respect of the separate coatings, which in turn is susceptible to damage because this makes it easier for a layer to peel off. A damaged joint between the duty layer arrangement and the protection surface coating means that moisture or dirt can penetrate as far as the carrier panel portion. The carrier panel portion is adversely affected thereby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the invention is to improve the coating on the protection surface of the obtuse edge of the floor panel.
According to the invention, that object is attained in that the decorative layer of the duty layer arrangement is bent over at the side edge portion of the floor panel and that the coating on the protection surface of the obtuse edge is formed at least by the bent-over decorative layer.
Two different things are achieved in that way. On the one hand, the coating on the protection surface can be such that there is no difference in quality in relation to the duty surface on the top side of the floor panel, unless the bent-over portion of the coating is to be deliberately of a different quality from the duty layer arrangement on the top side of the floor panel. The latter would be the case, for example, when the top side is provided with an anti-wear means, whereas the anti-wear means is dispensed with in the region of the coating on the protection surface because the abrasion wear is less there. On the other hand, there is a bend edge instead of the butt joint known from the state of the art. The duty layer arrangement forms an integral transition into the coating on the protection surface at the bend edge.
The one-piece configuration, according to the invention, of the duty layer arrangement and the coating on the protection surface avoids a butt surface that is endangered by a tendency to peeling.
The elastically bendable locking means of the floor panel, according to the invention, protects the edge locking profile from fracture. In accordance with the invention, it can basically be provided at various locations of the edge locking profile. If the arrangement involves an edge locking profile in the manner of a groove-and-tongue connection, at least one of the groove walls can be of an elastically bendable nature. Alternatively, the tongue can be elastically bendable. It is equally possible for both the tongue and also at least one of the groove walls to be elastically bendable. The arrangement with the elastically bendable locking means is advantageous both for edge locking profiles that have an undercut configuration that resists joined floor panels being pulled away from each other, and also for those edge locking profiles that do not have any such undercut configuration that resists joined floor panels being pulled away from each other.
In a particular embodiment, it can be provided that there is a separate coating at least on the protection surface of one of the obtuse edges at the side edge portion of the floor panel. That can be desirable if the structure involves a protection surface that is short in comparison with other protection surfaces on the floor panel and, as a result, it can be assumed that there is a reduced susceptibility to damage to the coating.
The above-mentioned separate coating can be, for example, in the form of a self-adhesive film.
A further benefit is enjoyed if the decorative layer is subdivided into different imaging or representational regions. In that way, for example, a floor panel can be designed with a wood motif in which individual wood planks are represented in individual imaging regions of the decorative layer. They can be arranged, for example, in a plurality of juxtaposed rows, as in the case of the bottom of a ship.
Advantageously, the duty layer arrangement has a surface with a lacquer layer.
The floor panel can be further improved if there is provided a relief having depressions and raised portions at the surface of the duty layer arrangement. The depressions and raised portions can, for example, be such that they correspond to or imitate a wood grain effect.
The quality of the floor panel can additionally be improved if the depressions are in overlapping relationship with given imaging regions and the raised portions are in overlapping relationship with other imaging regions of the decorative layer. That gives a floor panel in which the optical impression and the tactile impression taken together have a particularly genuine effect. For example, when a floor panel of such a nature, with a wood motif, includes a graphic representation of a branch, the floor panel has a relief on the surface of the position of the branch, in exact conformity with the graphic representation. Equally, it is possible to imitate the surface of a tile covering by graphic representations of tiles with joints therebetween being provided and by the relief in overlapping relationship with the graphics imitating, for example, recessed joints and raised tile surfaces. In that case, a joint surface can be rough like sand and the surface of tiles can be imitated with a corresponding structure.
In a preferred embodiment, the duty layer arrangement has a lacquer surface in which the depressions of the relief are produced by a chemical. Reliefs can be produced in a particularly simple and inexpensive fashion by that method. The chemical can, for example, react with lacquer and break it down where it is applied.
An alternative provides that the floor panel is provided with a relief, the depressions of which are produced by mechanical embossing. That can be implemented with any suitable material to be embossed for the duty layer arrangement, such as, for example, a melamine resin-bearing layer arrangement or a suitable layer of lacquer.
In addition, the area of use of the floor panel can be enlarged by the decorative layer having at least one imitation intermediate joint, which is in the form of a groove in the top side and which subdivides the decorative layer into imaging or representational regions.
Industrially produced floor panels are packaged and supplied in packs consisting of a plurality thereof. For inexpensive manufacture, it is advantageous for floor panels that are offered in packs each to be of the same respective panel length. The production of panels of differing lengths and the packaging of different panel lengths in one pack can be avoided in that fashion. Admittedly, panels of different lengths are required in the case of floor panels of real wood in order to achieve good utilization of the natural raw material, but that is inappropriate in the case of an artificial decorative layer because that increases the cost of production, storage, and sale. Production of the new floor panels in contrast is inexpensive because it is possible to produce uniform panel lengths, wherein one or more intermediate joints in the top side of a panel can nonetheless give the impression as though a laid floor covering consists of floor panels of differing lengths.
It is desirable if the imitation intermediate joint is of the same free cross-section as the free space that is produced when joining two floor panels, by virtue of the mutually adjoining obtuse edges thereof. That measure provides that the imitation intermediate joint is substantially matched to an actual butt joint forming a joint between mutually adjoining floor panels.
The effect of the intermediate joint can be further improved by the provision of a coating on the surface of the groove of the imitation intermediate joint. The visual appearance of the coating can be matched to the decorative layer of the duty layer arrangement. A possible way of achieving that provides that the groove is produced prior to application of the decorative layer and, in an additional working step, after application of the duty layer arrangement with the decorative layer, the duty layer arrangement in the region of the groove is introduced into the groove. In that respect, it is helpful if the duty layer arrangement that initially extends over the groove can be stretched in order, for example, to be pushed or sucked into the groove. That is possible, for example, with a film. Simpler coatings for the groove can comprise, for example, a lacquer.
In regard to durability of the floor panel, it is desirable if an anti-wear means is provided in the duty layer arrangement.
Desirably the anti-wear means has abrasion wear-resistant particles. This can involve, for example, corundum in powder form that is embedded in finely distributed form in the duty layer arrangement.
In an embodiment of the floor panel with a layer of lacquer on the surface of the duty layer arrangement, the anti-wear means is desirably embedded at least in the layer of lacquer. In addition, anti-wear means can generally also be contained within the decorative layer.
A particular benefit is achieved if the lacquered duty layer arrangement is processed in the form of a prefabricated layer and joined in the finished condition to the carrier panel portion. In that way, the lacquered duty layer arrangement with the decorative layer can be produced as a preliminary product. The manufacturer of the floor panel then only joins the prefabricated duty layer arrangement to a carrier panel portion to which the edge locking profiles have been fitted or are fitted. The lacquered duty layer arrangement can be easily attached to the carrier panel portion with an adhesive. Any suitable single-component or multi-component adhesive that sets cold or hot, chemically or physically, can be used for that purpose.
If the edge locking profile has locking means that engage in positively locking relationship at at least two oppositely disposed edges of the floor panel, that is considered to be a further advantage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated by way of example hereinafter in the drawings and described in detail with reference to individual Figures of the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a floor panel with obtuse edges provided at all sides,
FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a floor panel with obtuse edges provided at all sides,
FIG. 3 shows a floor panel with obtuse edges and with a groove in the top side,
FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a floor panel with obtuse edges and with a groove,
FIG. 5 shows a further alternative of a floor panel that has both obtuse edges and also a groove in the top side,
FIG. 6 shows a view of a portion of edge locking profiles of oppositely disposed edge locking profiles of a floor panel,
FIG. 7 shows a view of a portion of alternative oppositely disposed edge locking profiles of a floor panel whose edge locking profiles engage one behind the other,
FIG. 8 shows a view of a portion of a further embodiment of edge locking profiles of an undercut configuration at oppositely disposed edges of a floor panel,
FIG. 9 shows a view of a portion of oppositely disposed edge locking profiles, which are without an undercut configuration, of a floor panel, and
FIG. 10 shows a portion of a duty layer arrangement with relief.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 5 show floor panels 1. The floor panels are rectangular. They have a carrier panel portion 2. Provided in mutually opposite relationship are two long edges and two oppositely disposed short edges. A utility or duty layer arrangement 3 is provided at the top side of the carrier panel portion 2. The duty layer arrangement 3 has a decorative layer D that represents a wood motif 4 or a plurality of wood motifs 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c. The wood grain lines 5, 5 a, 5 b, and 5 c of the wood motifs 4, 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c are illustrated.
Respective edge locking profiles 6 a and 7 a are illustrated at the respective edges of the floor panels shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. Respective corresponding edge locking profiles are arranged at the oppositely disposed edges 6 b and 7 b. A plurality of those floor panels can thus be joined to form a floor surface because further floor panels can be locked to a floor panel at all sides.
The edge locking profiles 6 a and 7 a are shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, for example, in the form of a tongue-and-groove profile having an elastically bendable locking means V. Each of the floor panels shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 can alternatively have one of those edge-locking profiles that are proposed hereinafter in the description relating to FIGS. 6 to 9. FIGS. 1 to 5 serve essentially to explain alternatives in respect of the configuration of the top side of the floor panel and the side edge portions of the top side of the floor panel 1.
Looking at FIG. 1, the top side of the floor panel 1 has a utility or duty layer arrangement 3 with a decorative layer D whose wood motif 4 extends without interruption over the entire surface of the top side. The wood motif 4 represents, inter alia, a branch in the wood grain effect. It will be appreciated that neither the branch in itself nor the position of the branch is a necessary constituent part of the wood panel. That applies both in regard to FIG. 1 and also in regard to all other embodiments of FIGS. 2 to 5, whose decorative layer has a branch or parts thereof.
Provided at the side edge portions of the top side of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are obtuse edges 8 and 9 with protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a. Those protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a are in the form of a bevel. A bevel is thus an inclinedly arranged flat protection surface at the edge of the floor panel.
All four side edge portions at the top side of the floor panel 1 are provided with beveled protection surfaces. All those protection surfaces have a coating. The coating embraces the decorative layer D of the duty layer arrangement. For that purpose, the decorative layer D is bent over, for example, at a bend edge K at a side edge portion of the floor panel 1 and covers the protection surface 9 a. The same applies for the other side edges.
It will be appreciated that it is possible for regions of the edge of the floor panel, which extend beyond the protection surface 9 a, to be coated with that decorative layer D. An edge of the floor panel 1 can be coated, for example, entirely or partially with the bent-over decorative layer D.
Shown at the protection surface 9 a of the long edge of the floor panel is a wood grain line M that extends from the beveled protection surface 9 a over the bend edge K into the utility layer arrangement 3 of the top side of the floor panel 1.
The floor panel shown in FIG. 2 differs from the floor panel shown in FIG. 1 solely by the configuration of that protection surface/bevel provided at the short edge. There, there is no coating on the protection surface 8 a. The surface of the protection surface 8 a simply comprises the surface produced by the removal of material. The surface produced comprises in part the machined duty layer arrangement 3 and in part the material of the carrier panel portion 2. A more expensive alternative can have a protection surface 8 a for the short edge of the floor panel, which is provided with a separate coating such as, for example, a lacquer or a film.
The floor panel shown in FIG. 3 substantially corresponds to that shown in FIG. 2. A difference lies in the top side of the floor panel because there the floor panel has an imitation intermediate joint 10. That intermediate joint 10 is in the form of a groove 10 a. The groove 10 a severs the duty layer arrangement 3 and extends into the material of the carrier panel portion 2. The surface of the groove 10 a does not have any coating. The cross-section of the groove 10 a corresponds to the free space that is produced by joining two short edges of such floor panels, as the free space between the obtuse edges 8. As can already be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the long edges of the floor panel 1 have a coating that encloses the bent-over decorative layer D of the duty layer arrangement 3.
The imitation intermediate joint in FIG. 3 subdivides the top side of the floor panel or the decorative layer D into two imaging or representational regions A and B. The imaging region A has a wood motif 4 a and the imaging region B has a wood motif 4 b. In the laid condition of a floor, the imitation intermediate joint 10 has the effect of an actual joint between separate wood elements.
As shown in FIG. 3, the wood grain lines 5 a of the wood pattern 4 a form a matching transition at the intermediate joint into the wood grain lines 5 b of the wood motif 4 b. The wood motifs 4 a and 4 b each have parts of one and the same branch. The intermediate joint 10 divides that branch into two parts. That leads to the assumption that the two decorative regions are wood that has been taken from a grown tree trunk and therefore match each other.
It will be noted that the groove 10 a of the intermediate joint 10 can also have a separate coating that is independent of the duty layer arrangement or the decorative layer.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 very substantially corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. In particular, the configuration of the obtuse edges 8 and 9 with their protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a as well as the configuration of the intermediate joint 10 corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 3. The only difference lies in the wood motif of the imaging region B. That imaging region B has a wood motif 4 c that does not have any branch, whereas the imaging region A has the same wood motif 4 a with a part of a branch, like the imaging region A in FIG. 3. The wood grain lines 5 a and 5 c are independent of each other; they do not go into each other. The imitation intermediate joint 10 leads to the assumption that this involves two joined pieces of wood.
FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment that also has an imitation intermediate joint 10 with a groove 10 a. The duty layer arrangement 3 at the top side of the floor panel 1 has the same wood motifs 4 a and 4 c as shown in FIG. 4. The only difference in the embodiment of FIG. 5 in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 4 lies in the coating of the protection surface 8 a, which is in the form of a bevel, at the short edge of the floor panel 1, and in the coating of the groove 10 a of the imitation intermediate joint 10. The protection surface 8 a is provided with a coating. The coating encloses the decorative layer D of the duty layer arrangement 3. The decorative layer D is bent over and extends over the protection surface 8 a. That can be clearly seen because the wood grain lines 5 a of the decorative layer D, coming from the duty layer arrangement 3, go into the coating on the protection surface 8 a.
The groove 10 a of the imitation intermediate joint 10 also has a coating. This also encloses the decorative layer D of the duty layer arrangement 3, which is bent over onto the surface of the groove 10 a. The wood grain lines 5 a of the wood motif 4 a pass over a bend edge L1 of the groove 10 a, and extend into the bottom of the groove 10 a. The wood grain lines 5 c of the wood motif 4 c also pass over the other bend edge L2 of the groove 10 a and extend into the bottom of the groove 10 a. Viewed from the top side of the floor panel 1, the wood motifs 4 a and 4 c as well as the intermediate joint 10 and the protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a of the top side of the floor panel 1 afford a very good impression of being authentic.
A further alternative of the floor panel 1, which is not illustrated here, has a bent-over decorative layer D with separate imaging or representational regions, in the area of the intermediate joint 10. Those imaging regions are provided with their own motifs that differ from those motifs that are to be found on the top side of the floor panel 1. The same can apply for one or more of the protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a, respectively, which can also be coated with a bent-over decorative layer D that, in turn, is provided with separate imaging regions for the protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a, respectively.
In that way, it is possible to provide the motif of a longitudinal section through a tree trunk, for example, for the top side 3 of the floor panel 1, as is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, whereas the bent-over portions of the decorative layer D, at the corresponding protection surfaces 8 a and 9 a, respectively, and the intermediate joint 10, have such motifs that represent a section transversely through a tree trunk.
Portions of two floor panels are shown in each of FIGS. 6 to 9. The portions show edge locking profiles in the connected condition thereof. Each individual one of the illustrated floor panels always has both edge locking profiles, namely one with a groove and one with a tongue. The groove and the tongue are respectively arranged at oppositely disposed edges of the floor panel.
Reference will now be made to FIGS. 6 to 9 to describe, on the one hand, different configurations of edge locking profiles. On the other hand, different shapes of obtuse edges at a top side of a floor panel are described and illustrated. In that respect, the shape of the obtuse edges is independent of the configuration of the edge locking profiles. Therefore, a floor panel with an obtuse edge as shown in FIG. 6 can be combined with each of the edge locking profiles shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. The shape of the obtuse edge shown in FIG. 7 can be combined with each edge locking profile of FIGS. 6 to 9. The same applies to the obtuse edges in FIGS. 8 and 9. They too can be combined with any edge locking profile as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. Furthermore, each of the edge locking profiles of FIGS. 6 to 9 can be provided on any of the floor panels of FIGS. 1 to 5. In that respect, the edge locking profiles are always arranged in paired relationship at mutually opposite edges of the floor panel. Oppositely disposed short edges of one of the floor panels shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 can have either the same type or a different type of edge locking profiles as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, which is provided at the long edges of the floor panel.
In FIG. 6, provided at a top side of floor panels 20 and 21 is a respective obtuse edge having a protection surface in the form of a 45° bevel 22 and 23, respectively. The 45° bevel 22 of the floor panel 20 is an inclined plane produced by removal of material at the edge, at the top side, of a carrier panel portion 24 of the floor panel 20. A utility or duty layer arrangement 25 having a decorative layer D is provided on the carrier panel portion 24. The duty layer arrangement 25 is bent over onto the 45° bevel 22 at a bend edge N. Therefore, the coating of the 45° bevel 22 involves the same material quality as the duty layer arrangement at the top side of the floor panel 20. The 45° bevel 23 of the floor panel 21 has the same coating as the floor panel 20.
The edge locking profile shown in FIG. 6 has a tongue-and-groove profile with a tongue 26 in the form of an elastically bendable locking means V. The edge locking profile is protected from fracture by virtue of the elastic bendability of the tongue 26. Before another part of the edge locking profile fractures, the tongue 26 adopts a bend. The tongue 26 is straight in the unlocked condition whereas it is bent in the illustrated locked position, following the shape of the groove 27 in a direction towards the underside of the floor panel 20. This is not a tongue-and-groove profile that has an undercut configuration because the tongue 26 is not curved in the relieved condition.
FIG. 7 shows a top side of floor panels 30 and 31 that are each provided with a respective obtuse edge with a protection surface, each protection surface being in the shape of a rounded configuration. The rounding 32 of the floor panel 30 is somewhat shorter in cross-section than an arc formed by a quarter of a circle. The rounding 32 is produced by removal of material at the edge, at the top side, of a carrier panel portion 33 of the floor panel 30.
Provided on the carrier panel portion 33 is a duty layer arrangement 34 having a decorative layer D. The duty layer arrangement 34 including the decorative layer D is bent around the rounding 32 of the obtuse edge and forms the coating thereon. The coating, however, also extends onto the top side of a tongue 35 of the edge locking profile and reaches the end of the top side of the tongue. The rounded shape of the protection surface of the floor panel 31 corresponds to the rounding 32 of the floor panel 30. A duty layer arrangement 37, inclusive of a decorative layer D, is bent around that rounding 36 of the obtuse edge and extends as far as an end edge of an upper groove wall of the groove profile of the floor panel 31.
The coating on the protection surfaces involves the same material quality as the duty layer arrangements 34 and 35 at the top side of the floor panels 30 and 31.
The edge locking profiles shown in FIG. 7 are provided with tongue-and-groove profiles that comprise an undercut configuration. The undercut configuration resists the floor panels 30 and 31 being pulled apart. The arrangement has two elastically bendable locking means V1 and V2. One of the locking means V1 is formed by the tongue 35 and the other elastically bendable locking means V2 is a lower groove wall 38 of the groove profile, which is longer or projects further from the edge of the panel than an upper groove wall 38.
A further configuration of the top side of floor panels 40 and 41 can be seen from FIG. 8. Those floor panels 40 and 41 each have a respective obtuse edge with a protection surface in the form of a rounding 42 and 43, respectively. The geometry of the rounding 42 corresponds to the rounding shown in FIG. 7 of the floor panel 30. The rounding 42 is also produced by removal of material at an upper edge of a carrier panel portion 43 of the floor panel 40. The coating on the rounding 42, again, comprises a duty layer arrangement 44 on the top side of the floor panel 40, which, inclusive of a decorative layer D, is bent in one piece around the rounding 42 of the obtuse edge. In the present embodiment, however, the coating ends at the end of the rounding and is not taken further over the edge onto the edge locking profile.
The edge locking profiles are provided with a groove 45 and a tongue 46, wherein provided between the groove 45 and the tongue 46 is an undercut configuration that resists the floor panels 40 and 41 being pulled apart. There is provided an elastically bendable locking means V, more specifically an elastically bendable lower groove wall 47 for the groove 45, which is longer than the upper groove wall 48 of the groove 45. The lower groove wall 47 is free of any bend in the locked position as illustrated. Its elastic bendability, however, is effective when an external loading is applied to the connection between the groove and the tongue. The elastic lower groove wall 47 protects the remaining regions of the connection from fracture.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 involves the same configuration in respect of the top side of floor panels 50 and 51, as is to be seen from FIG. 8. Provided on a carrier panel portion 50 a with a duty layer arrangement 50 b is an obtuse edge with a protection surface in the form of a rounding 52. The same applies for the floor panel 51, which has a rounding 53. Both the geometry of the roundings 52 and 53 and also the coatings thereon correspond to the configuration of the rounding 42 shown in FIG. 8.
The edge locking profiles provided are equipped with a groove 54 and a tongue 55, which do not have an undercut configuration. The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 does not provide a positively locking engagement relationship to prevent the floor panels 50 and 51 from being pulled apart, as can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. Both the tongue 55 and also the groove 54 are of trapezoidal cross-sections. A thinner lower groove wall 56 of the groove 54 forms an elastically bendable locking means V that, when an external loading is applied to the connection, yields before a fracture occurs at another location of the groove 54 or the tongue 55.
It will be appreciated that a conventional tongue-and-groove profile that has joining surfaces for the groove, which are arranged in parallel relationship with the top side of the floor panel and with joining surfaces for the tongue, which are also arranged in parallel relationship with the top side of the floor panel, can also be supplemented by an elastically bendable locking means. In that case, the elastically bendable locking means protects the remaining regions of the groove and the tongue from fracture if a loading is applied to the tongue-and-groove connection. It is sufficient if, for example, the tongue or one of the groove walls is of an elastically bendable nature.
For the purposes of describing the structure of a utility or duty layer arrangement, FIG. 10 diagrammatically shows a portion of a duty layer arrangement. The floor panels shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 can, for example, have a duty layer arrangement of the structure shown in FIG. 10. The same applies for the duty layer arrangements in FIGS. 6 to 9.
Referring to FIG. 10, the duty layer arrangement has a paper 61 that is printed with decorative graphics 62. The graphics 62 are provided with differently colored zones 63 and 64. To protect the graphics 62 from being worn off, they are coated with a transparent lacquer. The thickness of the lacquer layer 65 and the thickness of the paper 61 are shown without proportionality in FIG. 10. The lacquer is transparent and is mixed with an abrasion-resistant anti-wear means 66 for the purposes of affording a high level of resistance to wear. The anti-wear means 66 has particles that extend to the surface of the lacquer layer 65. The surface of the lacquer also has a relief 67 that exactly matches the illustrated graphics 62. Depressions 67 a and raised portions 67 b of the relief are in overlapping relationship with respective given zones 63 and 64, respectively, of the graphics 62. The depressions 67 a of the relief 67 have been produced by a chemical that is applied prior to the lacquer coating and which, after application of the lacquer, reacts therewith. In FIG. 10, the lacquer layer 65 is thin in the region of the depressions 67 a whereas the lacquer layer 65 is thicker in the region of the raised portions 67 b. The depressions 67 a of the relief 67 are in overlapping relationship with the zones 63 of the graphics 62. In that way, the tactile impression and the visual impression supplement each other and that affords an excellent imitation of a floor surface of real wood. A depression 67 a in the lacquer layer 65 can extend at a maximum as far as the printed paper 61. Such a depression 67 a lacks the protective lacquer layer. Such depressions 67 a should preferably be of a small area so that they are well protected from wear by the surrounding raised regions.
A duty layer arrangement as shown in FIG. 10 is prefabricated. To produce a floor panel, the prefabricated duty layer arrangement is attached to a carrier panel portion, for example, by means of an adhesive.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 floor panel
2 carrier panel portion
3 duty layer arrangement
4 wood motif
4 a wood motif
4 b wood motif
4 c wood motif
5 wood grain line
5 a wood grain line
5 b wood grain line
5 c wood grain line
6 a edge locking profile
6 b edge locking profile
7 a edge locking profile
7 b edge locking profile
8 short obtuse edge
8 a protection surface
9 short obtuse edge
9 a protection surface
10 intermediate joint
10 a groove
20 floor panel
21 floor panel
22 45° bevel
23 45° bevel
24 carrier panel portion
25 duty layer arrangement
26 tongue
27 groove
30 floor panel
31 floor panel
32 rounding
33 carrier panel portion
34 duty layer arrangement
35 tongue
36 rounding
37 duty layer arrangement
40 floor panel
41 floor panel
42 rounding
43 carrier panel portion
44 duty layer arrangement
45 groove
46 tongue
47 lower groove wall
48 upper groove wall
50 floor panel
50 a carrier panel portion
50 b duty layer arrangement
51 floor panel
52 rounding
53 rounding
54 groove
55 tongue
56 lower groove wall
61 paper
62 graphics
63 zone
64 zone
65 lacquer layer
66 anti-wear means
67 relief
67 a depression
67 b raised portion
A imaging region
B imaging region
D decorative layer
K bend edge
L1 bend edge
L2 bend edge
M wood grain line
N bend edge
V locking means
V1 locking means
V2 locking means

Claims

1. A floor panel comprising a carrier panel portion that is provided at a top side with a duty layer arrangement, which duty layer arrangement has at least one decorative layer and edge locking profiles at at least two mutually opposite edges of the floor panel, wherein at least one edge locking profile has at least one elastically bendable locking means, and wherein material is removed at least at one side edge portion at the top side of the floor panel and formed thereby is an obtuse edge with a protection surface, and wherein the protection surface of the obtuse edge is provided with a coating, characterised in that at least the decorative layer of the duty layer arrangement is bent over at the side edge portion of the floor panel and that the coating on the protection surface of the obtuse edge is formed by the bent-over decorative layer.

2. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that there is a separate coating at least on the protection surface of one of the obtuse edges at the side edge portion of the floor panel.

3. The floor panel according to claim 2, characterised in that the separate coating is in the form of a self-adhesive film.

4. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that the decorative layer is subdivided into different imaging regions.

5. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that the duty layer arrangement has a surface with a lacquer layer.

6. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that there is provided a relief having depressions and raised portions at the surface of the duty layer arrangement.

7. The floor panel according to claim 6, characterised in that the depressions are in overlapping relationship with given zones of the decorative layer and the raised portions are in overlapping relationship with other zones of the decorative layer.

8. The floor panel according to claim 6, characterised in that the depressions of the relief are produced by a chemical.

9. The floor panel according to claim 6, characterised in that the depressions of the relief are produced by mechanical embossing.

10. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that the decorative layer has at least one imitation intermediate joint, which is in the form of a groove in the top side of the floor panel and which subdivides the decorative layer into imaging regions.

11. The floor panel according to claim 10, characterised in that the imitation intermediate joint is of the same free cross-section as the free space that is afforded when two floor panels are connected by the mutually adjoining obtuse edges thereof.

12. The floor panel according to claim 10, characterised in that there is a coating provided on the surface of the groove of the imitation intermediate joint.

13. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that there is provided an anti-wear means in the duty layer arrangement.

14. The floor panel according to claim 13, characterised in that the anti-wear means has abrasion-resistant particles.

15. The floor panel according to claim 13, wherein the duty layer arrangement has a surface with a lacquer layer, characterised in that the anti-wear means is embedded at least in the lacquer layer at the surface of the duty layer arrangement.

16. The floor panel according to claim 15, characterised in that the lacquered duty layer arrangement is processed in the form of a prefabricated layer and joined in the finished condition to the carrier panel portion.

17. The floor panel according to claim 15, characterised in that the lacquered duty layer arrangement is attached to the carrier panel portion with an adhesive.

18. The floor panel according to claim 1, characterised in that the edge locking profile at at least two oppositely disposed edges of the floor panel has locking means that act in positively locking relationship.