CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Swedish Application No. 1850441-5, filed on 18 Apr. 2018. The entire contents of Swedish Application No. 1850441-5 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to panels configured to be locked together with a mechanical locking device. The panels may be floorboards to be locked together to obtain a floor product, or panels that may be assembled and locked together to obtain a furniture product, such as a bookshelf, a cupboard, a wardrobe, a box, a drawer or a furniture component and may thereafter be dismantled. The mechanical locking device may comprise a flexible tongue.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

A furniture product provided with a mechanical locking device is known in the art, as evidenced by WO2015/038059. The furniture product comprises a first panel connected perpendicular to a second panel by a mechanical locking device comprising a flexible tongue in an insertion groove.

The above description of various known aspects is the applicant's characterization of such, and is not an admission that any of the above description is considered as prior art.

Embodiments of the present invention address a need to provide panels that can be assembled and dismantled.

SUMMARY

It is an object of certain aspects of the present invention to provide an improvement over the above described techniques and known art; particularly, to achieve a set that could be dismantled/disassembled after assembly without damaging the mechanical locking device, such that the set yet again could be assembled.

It is an object of at least certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention to provide an improvement over the above described techniques and known art.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate assembling of panels configured to be assembled without the need of using any tools.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate disassembling of panels configured to be assembled.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate assembling and disassembling of panels configured to be assembled with a locking device that is easy to manufacture and to use.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate a method of disassembling assembled panels.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate assembling of panels configured to be assembled with a locking device that is easy to use and install and which reduces the risk of incorrect installation thereof.

A further object of at least certain aspects of the present invention is to facilitate assembling of panels configured to be assembled in a more stable and aesthetic way.

At least some of these and other objects and advantages that will be apparent from the description have been achieved by a set comprising a first panel, a second panel and a mechanical locking device for locking the first panel to the second panel, wherein the first panel comprises a first edge surface and a first panel surface and the second panel comprises a second edge surface and a second panel surface, characterized in that the mechanical locking device comprises an insertion groove at the second edge surface, a flexible tongue positioned in the insertion groove and an edge tongue comprising a tongue groove, that the flexible tongue comprises a first locking surface and a second locking surface, that the first locking surface is configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for locking of the first panel to the second panel in a first direction when the flexible tongue is positioned in the insertion groove in a first orientation, and that the second locking surface of the flexible tongue is configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for a locking of the first panel to the second panel in a first direction when the flexible tongue is positioned in the insertion groove in a second orientation.

The first locking surface and the second locking surface may be essentially symmetrically positioned on the flexible tongue.

An angle between the first and second locking surface may be within the range of about 90° to about 180°, preferably within the range of about 150° to about 175°, or preferably about 158°.

The flexible tongue may comprise a guiding surface configured to cooperate with the edge tongue during a displacement of the first panel relative to the second panel.

The guiding surface may in a first end be connected to the first locking surface and in a second end be connected to the second locking surface.

The guiding surface may have a curved shape.

The guiding surface may have the shape of a circular segment.

The curved shape of the guiding surface may have a radius between the first and second locking surfaces within the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, preferably within the range of 1 mm to 2 mm, or preferably about 1.5 mm.

The flexible tongue may have a thickness T and the curved shape of the guiding surface may have a radius between the first and second locking surfaces within the range of about 0.2×T to 1.2×T or about 0.4×T to about 0.8×T, or 0.6×T.

The guiding surface may be configured to cooperate with a curved shape surface of a disassembling tool, wherein the disassembling tool preferably has a circular cross section.

The flexible tongue may have a support surface positioned opposite to the guiding surface, wherein the support surface may have a curved shape with a radius within the range of about 25 mm to about 50 mm, preferably within the range of 30 mm to 45 mm, or preferably about 37 mm.

The curved shape of the support surface may have a radius that is smaller than a radius of a bottom surface of the insertion groove.

The first or second direction for locking of the first panel to the second panel may be parallel and/or perpendicular to the second panel surface.

The edge tongue may be a rod-shaped element at the first edge surface and at a third edge surface of the first panel and the mechanical locking device may comprise a first element groove at the second panel surface and a second element groove at a third panel surface of the second panel, wherein the rod-shaped element may comprise the tongue groove and may be configured to be inserted into the first or second element groove, wherein the first element groove may extend from the second panel surface to the insertion groove and the second element groove may extend from the third panel surface to the insertion groove, the first locking surface of the flexible tongue may be configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for a locking of the first panel to the second panel in a first direction which is perpendicular to the first panel surface when it is inserted into the first element groove and the first edge surface is arranged against the first panel surface; and the second locking surface of the flexible tongue may be configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for locking of the first panel to the second panel in a first direction which is perpendicular to the first panel surface when it is inserted into the second element groove and the third edge surface is arranged against the third panel surface.

A first crosscut of the rod-shaped element, in a plane parallel to the first or second panel surface, may have a circular shape or a rectangular shape.

The mechanical locking device may be configured to automatically lock the first panel to the second panel when the rod-shaped element is inserted into the first or second element groove and the first edge surface is arranged against the first panel surface and/or the third edge surface is arranged against the second panel surface.

The rod-shaped element may have a longitudinal shape with a length direction which may be parallel to the first panel surface of the first panel.

In one aspect the locking surface and the adjacent sides of the flexible tongue may preferably have edges that are rounded, i.e. have a radius, which results in that the tongue is easier to insert and move in the insertion groove, also reducing the risk for fibers falling off from the insertion groove when the flexible tongue is inserted and moved in the insertion groove.

According to one aspect there is provided a flexible tongue comprising a first locking surface and a second locking surface. The first locking surface is configured to cooperate with a tongue groove for locking of a first panel to a second panel in a first direction when the flexible tongue is positioned in an insertion groove in a first orientation. The second locking surface of the flexible tongue is configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for a locking of the first panel to the second panel in a first direction when the flexible tongue is positioned in the insertion groove in a second orientation.

The first locking surface and the second locking surface may be essentially symmetrically positioned on the flexible tongue.

An angle between the first and second locking surface may be within the range of about 90° to about 180°, preferably within the range of about 150° to about 175°, or preferably about 158°.

The flexible tongue may comprise a guiding surface.

The guiding surface may in a first end be connected to the first locking surface and in a second end be connected to the second locking surface.

The guiding surface may have a curved shape.

The guiding surface may have the shape of a circular segment.

The curved shape of the guiding surface may have a radius between the first and second locking surfaces within the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, preferably within the range of 1 mm to 2 mm, or preferably about 1.5 mm.

The flexible tongue may have a thickness T and the curved shape of the guiding surface may have a radius between the first and second locking surfaces within the range of about 0.2×T to 1.2×T or about 0.4×T to about 0.8×T, or 0.6×T.

According to an aspect the core of the first panel and/or of the second panel may be a wood-based core, preferably made of MDF, HDF, OSB, WPC, plywood or particleboard. The core may also be a plastic core comprising thermosetting plastic or thermoplastic e.g. vinyl, PVC, PU or PET. The plastic core may comprise fillers.

The first panel and/or the second panel may also be of solid wood.

The second panel may also be of metal, such as sheet metal.

The first panel and/or the second panel may be provided with a decorative layer, such as a foil or a veneer, on one or more surfaces.

