US2995769A - Carpet binder and anchor bar - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1961 H. J. HILL 2,995,769

CARPET BINDER AND ANCHOR BAR Filed June 25, 1956 35 we; (p

5: I is. 4.

HARVA-IY J 1.

BY H/s ATTORNEYJ ,L/ARRIS, I050, 5575/2 & HA 82/5 Patented Aug. 15, 1961 2,995,769 CARPET BINDER AND ANCHOR BAR v Harvey J. Hill, Monterey Park, Calif-Z, assignor to Roberts This invention relates to rigid devices to be secured to flooring in position for receiving the edges of carpets and rugs to serve as binding means therefor and at the same time retain such carpets and rugs in laid and stretched condition.

An object of this invention is to provide a metal binder or trim bar which may readily be nailed to a floor and will clamp the edge of a carpet in laid position while at the same time providing an attractive appearance.

A further object is to furnish metal anchor and trim bars for carpets, which may be easily produced, as by extrusion, and may have on the under sides thereof downwardly directed flange elements for engaging the surface of underlying flooring and maintaining the binder strips in proper form after being nailed to the floor, such trim bars also having overhanging gripping flange means to be forced down into clamping positions at the carpet edges.

A still further object is to provide in an anchor bar carpet-engaging edges which are properly formed to minimize carpet wear. It is a further object of the invention to provide a metallic carpet binder having appropriate slot and groove means for conveniently positioning anchor nails or pins and receiving the nail or pin heads in adequately countersunk positions under the overlying edge of the carpet.

A further important object of the invention is to furnish a carpet binder bar with an appropriate overhanging clamp flange whose outward edge overhangs a median position of the main base section of the bar and cooperates with upstanding prongs on the base section so that the prongs lie just outside the edge of the flange, whereby the flange edge binds the carpet behind the prongs to maintain proper retentive engagement of the carpet by the prongs.

Other objects of the invention, and various features of construction thereof, will be apparent to those skilled in the carpet-laying art upon reference to the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a length of metal carpet-anchoring binder bar in position as it is being installed with an area of carpet and underlying carpet padding being laid;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the binder bar of this invention as seen from the left of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, the anchoring of the carpet edge having, however, been completed by driving the outer edge of the anchor flange down into the carpet nap to bind the carpet in position behind the co-operating carpet-engaging prongs of the binder bar;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of binder bar of this invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional fragment taken on the irregular line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 indicating use of a binder bar of this invention over the edge of asphalt or other tile, linoleum or the like adjacent which the edge of carpet being laid is to be positioned.

As seen upon reference to the figures of the drawing above described, the anchor bar or strip of this invention includes an elongated base section 10 having integrallyformed therewith at one edge thereof an overhanging elongated carpet-engaging flange 12 whose outward portion is rolled as indicated at 14 so that it may be forced down into the nap of an area of carpet C, its gripping edge 15 being rounded to avoid carpet damage when forced into the permanent clamping position illustrated in FIG. 4.

As indicated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the overhanging clamp flange 12 forms an angular pocket with the overhung portion of the base section 10, which pocket receives the inner or raw edge of the carpeting C, so that, when the flange 12 is forced downward to its carpet clamping position of FIG. 4, such raw edge of the carpeting is confined within the resultant pocket. Just outward from the edge 15, when the clamp flange 12 is in the clamping position of FIG. 4, there is located an interrupted longitudinal row of upstanding prongs 16 over which the carpeting is forced and immediately behind which the rolled portion 14 and the rounded edge 15 of the clamp flange 12 are positioned to grip the carpet and to insure retention thereof by the prongs 16.

At the longitudinal edge of the base section 10 oppo- Site from the line of attachment of the clamp flange 12, there is provided an integral down-turned shallow flange 18 against which the edge of the usual carpet padding P abuts in practice. As indicated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the width of the flange 1 8 approximates the thickness of the padding P, and to reduce carpet wear at this point the juncture between the under flange 18 and the base It) is well rounded as indicated at 19 in FIG. 2.

Just inside the abutment flange 18 the base section It) is provided with a longitudinal row of upstanding prongs 20, and within the row of prongs 20 there is another row of prongs 22 which row also is interrupted, as presently to be indicated. All prongs 1 6, 20 and 22 are inclined somewhat toward the clamp flange 12 to insure good gripping of the carpet, but the prongs 16 are nearer the vertical than the other prongs so that the carpet is more readily impaled by the forcing action of the flange 12 when bent down. The row of prongs 22 lies inside the outer row 20 and outside of a longitudinally extending downwardly directed groove 25 located in a median position along the base section 10. The groove 25 is formed by downwardly offsetting the corresponding portion of the base member 10 to form a depressed bottom wall 26, at the sides of which on the under side of the base section 10 there are formed downwardly directed very shallow legs or flanges 28. One or both or neither of these legs 28 may be caused to engage the flooring F when the parts assume the operative position illustrated in FIG. 4, and when so engaged will serve to prevent complete collapse of the base section 10 under excessive pressure, as when being nailed down against the floor.

At appropriate intervals along the length of the base section 10, for example two inches, short slots 30 are provided for the purpose of receiving the shanks of suitable anchoring nails 32 with a limited amount of longitudinal adjustment. The groove 25 is somewhat tapered, as illustrated, and provides for adequate guiding of nails to the short slots 30. In addition, the upper edges of the groove 25 are slightly shouldered as indicated at 34, whereby to provide seats for the edge portions of the heads of the nails 32 when they are driven into the anchoring positions illustrated.

A reason for interrupting the rows of prongs 16 and 22 as illustrated is to provide adequate clear working space for a hammer head used in driving the nails 32 into their mentioned anchoring positions. Thus, binder bars of this invention are readily anchored by means of appropriate short nails 32 passed through the short slots 30 in the groove bottom 26 and driven into the underlying supporting floor F. Such anchoring causes one of the shallow groove legs 28 to be brought into contact with the underlying floor, the under edges of such leg 28, the depending abutment flange 18 and the opposite edge of the base section thus lying flush along the floor. The flanges 18 and 28, being oflset from the general plane of the base section 10, act also as stifleners for the binder bar. Further to stiffen the binder bar, the edge thereof opposite from the abutment flange 18 is formed with an elongated very shallow downwardly directed stiffening lip or flange 35 contacting the floor in the indicated flush relationship with the flanges 18 and 28 when anchored. By reason of the presence of the nail slots 30, rather than small holes, the operator may readily locate and avoid cracks between floor boards when the binder bars and the carpet are being laid upon wooden flooring. The slots 30 have the further advantage of permit-ting a small amount of longitudinal shift of one nail with respect to another When being driven into position, and this is particularly desirable when driving special nails into concrete, due to a tendency of concrete nails to cause metal shift.

The anchor and binder bar of this improvement is readily producible from aluminum and aluminum alloys and the like, as by extrusion, all parts other than the upstanding prongs 16, 20 and 22 and the slots 30 being formed in the extrusion operation. Relatively simple punching procedures care for the prongs and for the slots. In practice, the prongs 16 are desirably somewhat more upright than the prongs 20 and 22, such prongs 16 having for example an angle of 70 to 80 from the plane of the base section 10 while the prongs 20 and 22 may have angles around 60". When carpeting is being stretched, it is easily hooked over the prongs 20 and 22, and, when the clamp flange 12 is tapped down into position, its rounded edge easily drives the carpeting down over the more upright prongs 16. Shaping of the clamp flange 12 to assume the position of FIG, 4 is very easily accomplished by employment of a block or striprof wood which is placed upon a length of the flange 12 and tapped with a hammer to depress the corresponding flange section without marring or other injury, while at the same time impaling the adjacent carpet portion on the prongs 16.

A further important feature of this trim and anchor bar is the manner in which the clamp flange 12 is formed adjacent its connection with the base section 10. The purpose is to provide a smoothly convexly curved flange 12 when it has been pressed down into the operative position of FIG. 4. To accomplish this, the bar 10 and flange 12 are extruded to provide a reverse or ogee curve adjacent their juncture, this being well indicated in FIGS. 2 and 7. Here the portion at the edge of the base 10 and indicated at 40 is convex, an adjoining portion 42 (which is thinner than the rest of the flange 12 and to that extent weaker) is principally concave, and the rest of the outer face of the flange 12 is again convex. With this construction, when the flange 12 is forced down to the position of FIG. 4, the entire outer face of the flange 12 becomes smoothly convex without any abrupt change in contour at the bend Zone, such as would result from a distinct shoulder. For this purpose the short zone 42 may be about 50% of the thickness of the principal body portion of the flange 12, and it may have a lateral extent of about of the width of the flange 12.

The invention claimed is:

1. An elongated rigid carpet binder strip including in combination: a longitudinally extending base section having an inner edge and an outer edge; a longitudinally extending clamp flange fixed along the inner edge of said base section and overhanging a flat inner portion of said base section for providing an angular pocket outwardly directed to receive therein a carpet margin, said overhanging flange having a downturned outward edge for clamping said carpet; and a longitudinally extending series of upstanding carpet-piercing and retaining prongs on said base section adjacent said flat portion and said flange in position for the carpet to be impaled on said prongs by driving down the edge of the clamp flange and held locked in position by engagement of the overhanging edge of said driven clamp flange with said carpet immediately inward of said prongs, said base section having a downwardly oflset longitudinally extending groove disposed outward from said overhanging clamp flange and having openings in the bottom of such groove for the reception of means for anchoring the strip to underlying flooring.

2. A binder strip as in claim 1 having on its under side at one edge thereof down-turned flange means whose under edge lies approximately flush with the under side of said groove and the opposite under edge of said strip.

3. A one-piece elongated rigid carpet anchor strip including in combination: a longitudinally extending base section having an inner and an outer edge; a longitudinally extending clamp flange section secured along the inner edge of said base section and overhanging a flat inner portion of said base section to provide an angular pocket directed outwardly for receiving a carpet edge therein; a first set of upstanding carpet-piercing and retaining prongs provided longitudinally along said base section slightly outward from the edge of said clamp flange section in position for the carpet to be impaled on said prongs by driving down the edge of the clamp flange section and held locked in position by engagement of the overhanging edge of said driven clamp flange section with said carpet immediately inward of said prongs, said base section having at its outer edge opposite from said clamp flange section a shallow downturned abutment flange to be engaged by an edge of carpet padding underlying the retained carpet; a second set of carpet-piercing prongs lying along the side of said base section adjacent said abutment flange; and a median downwardly-offset longitudinal groove portion provided between the two sets of prongs having spaced openings in the bottom thereof for receiving nails and constituting an anchoring means.

4. A device as in claim 3 wherein said median downwardly-ofiset portion has flange means disposed at its underside having edges in substantially the same plane as the lower edge of said downturned abutment flange and the opposite edge of the device.

5. In a one-piece elongated metal carpet anchor strip,;

the combination of: a longitudinally extending base section having an inner edge and an outer edge and having a continuous longitudinally extending groove in the upper surface thereof between said edges, said groove having a plurality of nail holes spaced therealong; a clamp flange section extending continuously along said inner edge and overhanging an inner portion of said base section to provide an angular pocket directed outwardly for receiving a carpet edge therein; a first set of upstanding carpet-1, piercing and retaining prongs longitudinally spaced along; said base section between said groove and said inner edge; a second set of upstanding carpet-piercing and retaining; prongs longitudinally spaced along said base section between said grooves and said outer edge; a short downturned supporting flange extending continuously along said outer edge; and leg means depending from the under-i side of said base section and extending longitudinally? thereof parallel to said edges and adjacent to said holes,} said leg means depending from said base section a distance substantially less than said supporting flange. I

6. A one-piece elongated rigid carpet anchor strip including in combination: a longitudinally extending base section having an inner and an outer edge; a longitudi-j nally extending clamp flange section secured along the, inner edge of said base section and overhanging a flat inner portion of said base section to provide an angular pocket directed outwardly for receiving a carpet edge therein; a first set of upstanding carpet-piercing and re-f taining prongs provided longitudinally along said base flange section in position for the carpet to be impaled on ''said prongs by driving (10ZVI1 the edge of the clamp flange section and held locked in position by engagement of the overhanging edge of said driven clamp flange section with said carpet immediately inward of said prongs, said base section having at its outer edge opposite from said clamp flange section a shallow downturned abutment flange to be engaged by an edge of carpet padding underlying the retained carpet; a second set of carpet-piercing prongs lying along the side of said base section adjacent said abutment flange, said first set of upstanding prongs being directed upwardly from said base section at a steeper angle than said second set of prongs, thereby providing for the forcing of a carpet edge substantially straight downward over said prongs by said edge of said clamp flange section upon forcing the latter down into engagement with the carpet after the carpet has been hooked over said second set of prongs; and a median downwardly-offset longitudinal groove portion provided between the two sets of prongs having spaced openings in the bottom thereof for receiving nails and constituting an anchoring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,681 Mooney Apr. 25, 1899 1,847,373 Awbrey Mar. 1, 1932 1,900,769 Schemrnel Mar. 7, 1933 1,958,527 Williams May 15, 1934 2,116,846 Pilcher May 10, 1938 2,186,684 Ritter Jan. 9, 1940 2,258,314 Bonnell Oct. 7, 1941 2,284,422 Hall May 26, 1942 2,654,909 Paterson et a1. Oct. 13, 1953 2,687,545 Karas Aug. 1, 1954 2,736,054 White Feb. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 690,725 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1953

Images