US2238946A - Carpet fastener - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1941- R. M. ROBERTS 2,238,946

CARPET FASTENER Filed April 11, 193s [/v V/VTOR Roy M Rosa/Qns Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT' oFFlcl-z CARPET FASTENER Roy M. Roberti, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 11, 1938, Serial No. 201,265

8Claims.

My invention relates to the art of laying carpets and is directed to an improved form of carpetsecuring device.

Carpet laid over suitable resilient padding to cover the :door in an omce building, for example, is usually tacked down along its margin. Such means for securing a carpet is not wholly desirable because the procedure involved is relatively slow, because depressions in the carpet caused by the tacks form dir-t traps adjacent the wall of a room, and finally. because subsequent removal of the carpet requires excessive labor and invariably results in damageto the carpet.

A general object of my invention is to provide a carpet-anchoring means in strip form adapted for both emcient engagement with the carpet and eflicient attachment` to the floor. It is my purpose in providing such a strip to save time in laying carpet, to eliminate depressions at points where the carpet is engaged, and to provide a carpet-retaining means that may be readily removed without damage to the carpet.

While such a carpet fastening strip may be nailed or otherwise anchored to the oor, it is desirable' where the carpet is to be laid on. a cement floor to employ glue for holding down the strip thereby avoiding .damage to the cement surface. I have found, however, that a strip substantial enough to hold a carpet under tension and thick enough to match the padding under the carpet is not ordinarily exible enough to follow closely the inevitable irregularities in a cement'surface, even when the strip is made of the lightest wood. The strip tends to bridge extensive areas, touching only high points of the floor surface. This bridging eiect is important because a glue bond effective for my purpose may be had only if the opposing surfaces lie close to each other oversubstantially the whole area of the strip.

An important object of my invention is to solve this diiiiculty. My solution is characterized by the concept that a relatively thick anchoring means may be made locally flexible to the required degree by simply forming 'therein one or more recesses preferably in lateral disposition across one or both faces of the strip. In one form of my invention such transverse recesses are cut in the wooden strip on the Job at positions required for the configuration of a particular floor, the recesses being, for example, simply channels or kerfs on a face of the strip cut with a saw. In another form of my invention the strip as manufactured is provided with such recesses at sumciently close intervals to permit the strip to approximate any degree of irregularity in a cement floor to be met in practice, the strip having a segmental character.

I have found that a wooden strip of ordinary quality may have an undesirable tendency to split when so cut, especially if the wood is crossgrained to any degree. A feature of my invention is the concept of building a composite strip with layers of material selected for specific functions, a primary layer having the function o! bending with no tendency to split or break. Thus, the primary layer may be of relatively high quality straight-grained wood and relatively cheap wood or other material may be used for the remaining secondary layer or layers, the latter serving merely as a spacer means to insure thickness in the composite strip to match the padding under the carpet, and serving also to stillen the primary layer edgewise. In the forms of my anchoring strip having recesses, such recesses may extend only through the secondary layers of the strip, dividing such layers into segments that are individually bonded to the primary layer. An advantage of such a construction, aside from the obvious saving in cost, is that the strip is not weakened to any important degree by cutting through its secondary layers, since the strength of the strip is in the primary layer and since cutting the secondary layer transversely does not materially aifect the function of stiifening the primary layer.

In the employment of a carpet fastener here involved, the tension of the carpet is transmitted to prongs or other retaining means extending from the upper face of the strip, the resulting moment tending to tilt or rotate the strip laterally. Ordinarily, this moment must be taken into consideration in providing means to anchor the strip to the iloor, since a more effective anchorage is necessary to withstand such moment than merely to keep the strip from sliding in response to an equivalent edgewise stress. The diii'erence is particularly noticeable when glue is employed because a glue bond, even when the glue is dry, is vulnerable to any stress that tends to peel the glued surfaces apart.

An object of one form of my invention is to relieve the means for attaching the strip to the floor from such a moment by providing means associated with the outer edge of the strip to engage the wall of the room in opposition to such moment, so that the tension of the carpet is converted into the equivalent of a simple horizontal stress on the floor-engaging means.

A further object of my invention, where glue is relied upon to anchor the strip, is to provide for exposure of the glue coating to air in the interest of rapid drying, such exposure being provided by vent apertures through the strip and also bythe transverse recesses when such recesses are on the lower face of the strip.

Finally, I propose to provide a construction for my invention that is inexpensive in material and is adapted for rapid manufacture. l

The above and other objects of my invention will be apparent in the detailed description to follow, taken with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of my invention employed in a room having a wooden iloor;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the carpet fastener illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view showing a modied form of my invention applied to a cement floor;

Fig. 4 is a section through the carpet and floor taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing how the segments lof this second form of my invention accommodate themselves to irregularities in the floor surface;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the carpet fastener illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a double pointed tack employed in the preferred forms of my invention; and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through a earpet-fastening strip showing a special form o prong for engaging a carpet.

Fig. 1 shows a corner portion of a room having a wooden floor I0 and walls around which extends a baseboard I2. 'I'he carpet I3 is laid over a resilient pad or cushion I4 and is marginally secured around the room by one form of my carpetfastening strip I5.

The strip I5 may be either plain or laminated in construction, the laminated form being shown, and is provided with a plurality of carpet-engaging means, such as prongs I6, that extend upward from the upper face of the strip, the prongs being by preference inclined toward the outer edge I1 of the strip. These prongs may comprise simply brads or headless nails I8 driven through the strip from the lower side in slanting disposition as indicated in Fig. 2. Any suitable means may be provided for attaching the strip I5 to the wooden floor I0; for example, the strip may be provided when manufactured with a plurality of suitably spaced holes I9 to receive nails 20. Preferably, the outer edge I'I of the strip is provided with means to engage the wall member or base-board |2 for the purpose of preventing the strip from tilting or vrotating away from the wall. Such means may comprise a plurality of double pointed tacks or nails 2|, each of which has a central flange or head 22, as best shown in Fig. 6.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the carpet-retaining strip I5 is of approximately the same thickness as the pad I4. In a typical procedure of employing my invention in laying a carpet, sections of the strip I5 are lightly hammered or otherwise moved against the base-board I2 with suflicient force to cause penetration of the nails 2|, the strip being subsequently anchored to the floor by the vertically disposed nails 20. The pad I4 is then cut to cover the area dened by the inner edges of the carpet-retaining strips, the pad abutting the strips. The carpet I3 of the dimensions for a particular room is then laid over the pad Il and the margins of the `carpet are hooked over the prongs I6. Finally, a base-shoe 23 is assembled 75 to the base-board I2 to conceal the edges of the carpet.

Such an installation is accomplished with minimum labor and provides an eiiicient anchorage for the carpet.

Figs. 3 to 5 show a second form of my invention particularly applicable to laying carpets on cement floors where it is desirable to employ glue for anchoring the strip to keep from marring the cement nish. In this particular form of my invention the conception of a laminated strip is important. A laminated strip, generally designated 25, comprises a primary layer 26 and two secondary layers 21. The primary layer by preference forms the top face of the strip rather than the bottom face and, by preference, is made of a good grade of lumber with the grain running lengthwise of the strip.

Since the laminated strip 25 is to be anchored to the concrete floor 29 by a layer of glue 28, no vertical nail holes are necessary. The strip 25 is providedwithaplurality of prongs I6, as previously described, and preferably also has the plurality of nails 2| in its 'outer edge to engage the baseboard I2. 30 preferably two to four inches apart extend through both the secondary layers 21 up to the primary layer 26, so that the resistance to bending at the slots is provided only by the primary layer. It is contemplated that the primary layer will be suiliciently flexible to permit the individdual segments 32 of the strip t accommodate themselves to the local configuration of the floor surface. f

Fig. 4 indicates in a somewhat exaggerated manner a shallow valley or depression in the floor 29, the lower pointI of the valley being approximately at the point 33, the high points at each side of the valley being approximately at 34 and 3|. Without the iiexural slots 30, the carpet-fastening strip 25 would kbridge this depression instead of laying suiciently close to the floor throughout its length to permit an eii'ective bond of glue. These slots may be cut at regular intervals when the strip is manufactured, as shown in Fig. 4, in which case the workmen need pay no particular attention to the location of high and low spots.- If the strip, however, is not provided with transverse slots in the course of its manufacture, the workmen merely decide from the manner in which the strip rests on the oor at which points such slots are required. For example, the workmen may decide to have one slot at point 33, the low point of the valley, so that even better contact with the floor in that vicinity would be possible than shown in the drawing. Nevertheless, such slot-cutting operations on the job are time-consuming and may be avoided by relying on the factory-cut slots of a segmented strip with no special attention to where high and low points are located on a given floor.

It will be noted that the flexural slots permit air to reach substantial areas of the glue coating under the fastening strip. For additional venting of the coating to promote rapid drying of the glue, I may provide apertures 24 through the strip as shownin Fig. 5. It will be noted that these apertures are spaced intermediate the flexural slots so that no sealed portion of the glue coating is more than a certain minimum' distance from a ventilated zone.

A feature of a laminated strip with the primary layer uppermost as described is that the lowermost secondary layer may be made of softwood. The lower surface of the strip may then Transverse recesses or exural slots be readily defaced or roughened in the course of manufacture to provide fibrous projections for engagement with the glue. I have found such engagement provided by a roughened strip to be desirable for holding the strip in conformity to the configuration of the floor until the glue dries. In most installations a smooth-faced strip would be inoperative unless carefully weighted down until the glue dries.

In Fig. 'l I show a carpet-retaining strip 35 that may be employed across doorways where there is no base-shoe to prevent the carpet from becoming disengaged. The prongs 36 have conical pointed heads 31 providing annular shoulders 38. When the carpet I3 is forced onto these prongs, the woven fabric at the back of the carpet is penetrated by the prongs and is held in a positive manner by engagement with the shoulders 38 of the prongs.

The specific forms of my invention, described in detail for the purpose of this disclosure and to illustrate the principles of my conception, will suggest to those skilled in the art various changes and modifications. I reserve the right to all such changes and modifications that come within the spirit of my invention and the scope of my appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carpet fastener comprising: a plurality of layers of material constituting a laminated strip adapted to lie along a floor and to be anchored thereto, one of said layers being a. primary layer providing one face of the strip, the remaining layers being secondary layers, said primary layer being made of wood with the grain thereof running lengthwise of the strip, whereby the secondary layers may be cut into segments interconnected by the primary layer to increase the flexibility of the strip locally whereby the various segments may be given sufilcient freedom to conform with irregularities in the door; and a plurality of carpet-engaging means extending upward from said strip.

2. A carpet fastener comprising: a strip adapted to be glued to a oor to retain the edge of a carpet, said strip having a plurality of spaced recesses across its lower face to facilitate flexure of the strip to conform with irregulariti in the floor surface and to promote drying of glue under the strip. said strip being apertured also to promote drying of the glue; and carpet-engaging means extending upward from the upper surface of said strip.

3. A carpet fastening device formed with a strip of flexible material, a plurality of spaced blocks carried by said strip. and anchoring elements extending through the blocks and strip and protruding above the upper face of said device for securing a carpet thereto. said device having alower face provided with adhesive material whereby to secure said device to a floor.

4. A device of the character described. comprising a strip of flexible material, a plurality of spaced blocks secured to the under face of said strip, and anchoring elements extending through the blocks and strip and protruding above the upper face of said strip for securing a carpet thereto, said blocks having lower faces provided with adhesive material whereby to secure said blocks fixed to a floor. V

5. A carpet fastener comprising: an elongated body adapted to be glued to a floor to retain the edge of a carpet, said body being apertured to promote drying of glue under the body; and a plurality of carpet-engaging means extending upward from the upper surface of said body.

6. A prefabricated carpet fastening means for attachment to a floor and adapted to have the edge of a carpet secured thereto without tacking, comprising: a narrow strip of Wood having a thickness approximately equal to that of the padding which is to underlie the carpet being laid, said strip having a series of prongs xedly l mounted therein, said prongs projecting upwardly from one side of said strip, said strip being laminated with the grain of at least one lamina extending transversely of the grain of another lamina, said laminae being bonded together, whereby said strip resists splitting during fabrication when said closely spaced prongs are introduced therein and also resists splitting, after attachment to said floor, when subjected to transverse pull due to tension on the carpet during the carpet laying operation.

7. A prefabricated carpet fastening means for attachment to a floor and adapted to have the edge of a carpet secured thereto Without tacking, comprising: a narrow strip of wood having a thickness approximately equal to that of the padding which is to underlie the carpet being laid, said strip having a series of nails extending substantially therethrough, said nails being closely spaced and being driven into said strip and having pointed ends projecting upwardly -from the upper side of said strip, said strip being laminated with the grain of at least one lamina extending transversely of the grain of another lamina, said laminae being bonded together, whereby said strip resists splitting during fabrication when said closely spaced nails are driven thereinto and also resists splitting, after attachment to said door, when subjected to transverse pull due to tension on the carpet during the carpet laying operation.

8. A prefabricated carpet fastening means adapted to be nailed to a floor and to have the edge of a carpet secured thereto without tacking, comprising: a narrow strip ofwood having a thickness approximately equal to that of the padding which is to underlie the carpet being laid. said strip having a series of inclined nails extending substantially therethrough, said nails being closely spaced and being angularly driven into said strip from one side thereof and having the pointed ends thereof projecting upwardly from the opposite side of said strip, said strip being laminated with the grain ot at least one lamina extending transversely of the grain of another lamina, said laminae being bonded together, whereby said strip resists splitting during fabrication when said closely spaced nails are driven thereinto and during the nailing of said strip to the door, and also resists splitting, after 'attachment to said floor, when subjected to transverse pull d ue to tension on the carpet during the carpet laying operation.

ROY M. ROBERTS.

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