Floating floor system, floor panel, and installation method for the same

Abstract

A floating floor system and a floor panel and method for use with the same that includes a snap-fit locking assembly that provides vertical locking between adjacent floor panels to minimize and/or prevent ledging therebetween. In one embodiment, a protuberance and a recess are also provide on the floor panels to provide horizontal locking. The snap-fit locking assembly comprises: a locking member protruding from a first flange and comprising an undercut surface; and a locking slot formed in a second flange. The snap-fit locking assembly is configured so that when the locking member of a first one of the panels is disposed within the locking slot of a second one of the panels, the first and second panels are vertically locked together via mechanical interaction between the undercut surface of the locking member of the first panel and a locking surface of the second flange of the second panel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor panel for a floating floor system comprising:
 a panel body comprising a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge;   a first flange extending from the first edge of the panel body, a protuberance in the form of an elongated ridge extending from the first flange to a distal end of the protuberance;   a second flange extending from the second edge of the panel body, the second flange comprising a recess in the form of an elongated channel;   a snap-fit locking assembly comprising: a locking member protruding from the distal surface of the protuberance on the first flange and comprising an undercut surface; a locking slot formed into a floor of the recess on the second flange; and a locking surface on the second flange adjacent the locking slot; and   wherein the snap-fit locking assembly is configured so that when the locking member of the floor panel is disposed within the locking slot of an adjacent floor panel, the floor panel and the adjacent floor panel are vertically locked together via mechanical interaction between the undercut surface of the locking member of the floor panel and the locking surface of the second flange of the adjacent floor panel; and   wherein the recess and the protuberance are configured so that when the protuberance of the floor panel is inserted into the recess of the adjacent floor panel, the floor panel and the adjacent floor panel are horizontally locked together via mechanical interaction of the protuberance and walls of the recess.   
     
     
         2 . The floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein the recess is an elongated channel that extends across an entirety of a width of the second flange and the protuberance is an elongated ridge that extends across an entirety of a width of the first flange. 
     
     
         2 . The floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein for each of the panels, the locking member comprises a locking lip comprising the undercut surface, and wherein a width of the locking member of the first panel is less than a width of the locking slot of the second panel thereby forming a deflection gap; and wherein the locking member is resilient so that the locking member of the first panel is forced from a normal state into a deflected state whereby the locking member deflects into the deflection gap as the locking lip is inserted into the locking slot of the second panel and returns to the normal state when the undercut surface of the locking lip of the first panel comes into alignment with the locking surface of the second panel. 
     
     
         3 . The floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein the locking member comprises a chamfered surface, the undercut surface and the chamfered surface defining a locking lip that protrudes in a direction away from the panel body. 
     
     
         4 . The floating floor system according to  claim 1  wherein the panel body extends from the first edge to the second edge along a longitudinal axis, and wherein the locking member is offset from the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . A floating floor system comprising:
 a plurality of panels, each of the panels comprising:
 a panel body comprising a first edge, a second edge opposite the first edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge opposite the third edge, the panel body extending from the first edge to the second edge along a longitudinal axis that is located centrally between the third and fourth edges; 
 a first flange extending from the first edge of the panel body; 
 a second flange extending from the second edge of the panel body; 
 a first mechanical locking assembly comprising:
 a locking member protruding from the first flange and having a length measured along the first flange with a center-point that is offset from the longitudinal axis; and 
 a locking slot formed in the second flange and having a length measured along the second flange with a center-point that is offset from the longitudinal axis; and 
 
   wherein the panels are vertically locked together via mechanical interaction between the locking member of a first one of the panels and the locking slot of a second one of the panels.   
     
     
         6 . The floating floor system according to  claim 5  wherein the locking member extends from a first end that is spaced from the third edge of the panel body by a first distance to a second end that is spaced from the fourth edge of the panel body by a second distance, and wherein the longitudinal axis intersects the locking member at a location that is closer to the first end than the second end. 
     
     
         7 . A method of installing a plurality of panels to create a floating floor system, each of the panels comprising: a panel body comprising a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge; a first flange extending from the first edge of the panel body; a second flange extending from the second edge of the panel body; a snap-fit locking assembly comprising: a resilient locking member protruding from the first flange; and a locking slot formed into the second flange, the method comprising:
 a) positioning first and second ones of the plurality of panels adjacent to one another;   b) inserting the resilient locking member of a first one of the panels into the locking slot of a second one of the panels, the resilient locking member of the first panel being forced from a normal state to a deflected state; and   c) continuing step b) until the resilient locking member of the first panel returns to the normal state so that mechanical interaction between the undercut surface of the locking member of the first panel and a locking surface of the second panel vertically locks the first and second panels together.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein the resilient locking member is biased into the normal state. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein during step b) a projection of one of the first or second panels inserts into a recess of the other one of the first or second panels to provide horizontal locking between the first and second panels. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein step b) further comprises folding the first panel downward toward the second panel. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10  wherein step a) further comprises inserting a projection of the first panel into a groove of one of the panels in a row of panels adjacent a row in which the second panel is located.