GB1573492A - Floor coverings - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO FLOOR COVERINGS (71) I, DONALD RODERICK HUBERT MACKAY, a British subject of 23 Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge CB2 2BG, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to floor coverings.

The invention is particularly concerned with the problem of securing a floor covering, such as a carpet or rug, detachably in position on an existing floor surface.

There are several existing methods which attempt to overcome this problem. For example, fitted carpets are usually held around their periphery by continuous elongate strips which are nailed to the floor and from which a series of prongs or barbs project. The backing of the carpet is presssed down onto these prongs or barbs, and is gripped by them to retain the carpet securely in position on the floor.

These carpet gripping strips are efficient in use, but they have drawbacks. The projecting prongs or barbs make the strips extremely unpleasant to handle; they have to be positively nailed or screwed into the floor surface in order to position them securely; they are, correspondingly, left behind to form an unsightly peripheral border when the carpet is eventually removed and the room vacated; and they inevitably damage the carpet backing when the carpet does eventually have to be removed. They are also, in general, only used for fitted carpets, i.e. carpets which cover the entire floor area without leaving any peripheral border between the carpet and the skirting board of the room.

Carpets which cover a major portion of the floor area without being "fitted", or rugs and mats, are not usually secured by these carpet gripping strips. There is then a tendency for such non-fitted carpets, rugs or mats to "wander", or to curl at the edges in use. To overcome this tendency, the carpet backing usually incorporates a ribbed rubber or felt strip around its peripheral regions, the idea being that this strip will grip the floor surface and will also weight the edges of the carpet against curling or kicking up.

In practice, however, these backing strips have only a limited efficiency. The tendency of the carpet is still to "wander" and to be prone to curling, especially if the carpet abuts a hearth or fender: the carpet progressively either moves away from the hearth or fender, or begins to ride up it.

The invention seeks to overcome these problems, by making it possible to construct a floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, tile or mat, which has positive provision for locating it in place on a floor surface whilst still being readily removable from the floor surface without damaging the carpet backing. In one broad aspect, the invention provides a planar floor covering, such asa carpet, rug, tile or mat, whose backing incorporates particles which have been magnetised, the magnetised particles being sufficiently close to the surface of the backing layer, or sufficiently strongly magnetised, or both, as to cause the floor covering to "cling" to a ferro-magnetic strip, a series of ferro-magnetic studs, or another magnetised surface secured to or forming part of a floor surface, when the covering is disposed thereon.

Tn another broad aspect of the invention a method of securing a planar floor covering detachably in position on a floor surface involves the use of strips, studs or sheets of planar material incorporating particles which have been magnetised and comprises the steps of securing such strips, studs or sheets to the backing surface of the floor covering, or to the floor surface itself; securing to, respectively, the floor surface or the backing surface of the floor covering further strips, studs or sheets of magnetised or of ferro-magnetic material; and positioning the magnetised material and the aforesaid further material insuch a way that when the floor covering is laid in a desired position on the floor surface the magnetised material will overlie the said further material (or vice versa) and cause the floor covering to "cling" to the floor in that position.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example only, a carpet embodying the invention which has been detachably secured to a floor surface by a method also embodying the invention.

In the drawing: Figure 1 shows the carpet in cross-section in position on the floor; and Figure 2 shows the carpet and floor in perspective, the carpet having been raised from the floor and with one corner upturned to show details of the construction of its backing surface.

An initially conventional flexible carpet is generally indicated by the reference numeral 11. The carpet is rectangular in plan, and presents to the floor on which it normally lies a backing surface reinforced with jute, or rubber and/or synthetic textile fibres. In the drawing, the backing surface is indicated by the reference numeral 12.

Continuously elongate strips 13 of canvas webbing are glued to the backing surface 12 of the carpet. As the drawing shows, the strips of webbing 13 are glued to the backing surface of the carpet so as to extend continuously around the peripheral edge region of the rectangular backing surface of the carpet whilst being spaced slightly inwardly from the extreme peripheral edges of the carpet.

This canvas webbing strip 13 supports a similarly continuously elongate strip of magnetised resiliently flexible material 14. This material, which is known in itself and is commercially available, consists of a resiliently flexible rubber or plastics strip into which magnetised iron particles have been incorporated. In the particular construction being described, two strips of such magnetised plastics material are stitched side by side along each strip of canvas webbing 13, and the webbing is then glued to the backing surface 12 of the carpet.

Continuously elongate flat strips 15 of steel are secured via countersunk screws 16 to a hard wood floor 17. As Figure 2 shows, the layout of the steel strips 15 on the floor is such that the carpet 11 can overlie them and will then bring the magnetised strips 14 into "clinging" magnetic engagement with the steel strips 15.

In this way, the carpet 11 can be located in a predetermined position on the floor 17, and will remain in that position without "wandering" or curling at the edges in use.

The carpet at any future date can be taken up, at once, without damage either to itself or to the surface of the floor 17.

Modifications can be made to the arrangement described above, whilst remaining fully within the scope of the invention. For example, a spaced series of steel studs could replace the continuously elongate strips 15.

Alternatively or additionally, spaced magnetic studs could replace the continuously elongate magnetic strips 14. If studs were used both on the floor and on the underside of the carpet, they would of course have to be so spaced that when the carpet was laid on the floor the co-operating respective sets of magnetic and steel studs registered with one another.

It might even be enough simply to use pins or screws in the floor, without any studs as such being necessary.

Although magnetised strips have been illustrated and described, a relatively small floor covering (such as a mat or rug) could have a rubberised or plasticised sheet backing surface which is entirely impregnated with magnetised particles. It would then not be necessary to have precise placing of the co-operating ferro-magnetic strips, studs, screws or pins in the floor surface: they could be driven in at random.

Alternatively again the magnetised strips, studs or sheets could be positively woven into the backing surface of the carpet and form part of the backing surface, as distinct from simply being added afterwards.

The invention in its broadest aspect is not restricted to flexible floor coverings. Such things as, for example, cork tiles could incorporate magnetised backing surfaces or could themselves be impregnated with magnetised iron particles : they would then still have, effectively, a definable "backing surface". An entire floor could be tiled, the peripheral tiles being constricted by the skirting boards of the room and all the remaining tiles being held in position by a combination of their own abutting edges and their magnetic attraction to a series of studs or tacks previously driven into the floor at suitably spaced intervals.

It was pointed out when defining the broad aspects of the invention that the floor covering could be laid over another magnetised surface secured to, or forming part of, the floor surface. It is already common practice, when tiling floors with relatively rigid tiles such as cork or linoleum tiles, to first lay a "dummy" floor of hardboard so that the tiles themselves have a flat clean surface to be secured to. The invention could find application in this field, in that an existing floor surface could first be overlaid with tiles of magnetised resilient mate rial which are secured permanently to the existing floor surface with suitable adhesive; and tiles embodying the invention, having a magnetised backing surface and a decorative upper surface, could simply be laid on top of the initial layer of tiles.

This would result in a floor covering having all the advantages of ease of laying and removal given by the invention, but the magnetic attraction of the decorative tiles to the "floor" would be even greater than in the case where ferro-magnetic studs, strips or plates are used.

Such a floor would also effectively have two thicknesses of resilient material. The need for any form of underlay would be eliminated, and a "cushioned" effect would be given to the floor in use.

In any embodiment of the invention in which one magnetised surface overlies, and is required to "cling" to, another, the two surfaces will obviously have to be oppositely magnetised. The following claims are to be interpreted with that in mind.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A planar floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, tile or mat, whose backing surface incorporates particles which have been magnetised, the magnetised particles being sufficiently close to the surface of the backing layer, or sufficiently strongly magnetised, or both, as to cause the floor covering to "cling" to a ferro-magnetic strip, a series of ferro-magnetic studs, or another magnetised surface secured to or forming part of a floor surface, when the covering is disposed thereon.

2. A method of securing a planar floor covering detachably in position on a floor surface, the method involving the use of strips, studs or sheets of planar material incorporating particles which have been magnetised and comprising the steps of securing such strips, studs or sheets to the backing surface of the floor covering, or to the floor surface itself; securing to, respectively, the floor surface or the backing surface of the floor covering further strips, studs or sheets of magnetised or of ferromagnetic material; and positioning the magnetised material and the aforesaid further material in such a way that when the floor covering is laid in a desired position on the floor surface the magnetised material will overlie the said further material (or vice versa) and cause the floor covering to "cling" to the floor in that position.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the planar floor covering is made of flexible material.

4. The invention defined in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the magnetised particles are incorporated into strips or sheets of flexible resilient material which are initially separate from the backing surface of the floor covering but which have been secured thereto.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, in which the strips of magnetised flexible resilient material are first secured to a bearing strip which is in turn secured to the backing surface of the floor covering.

6. A planar floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, tile or mat whose backing surface is constructed substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

7. A method of securing the floor covering of claim 6 detachably in position on a floor surface, the method comprising the steps substantially as set forth herein with reference specifically to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. rial which are secured permanently to the existing floor surface with suitable adhesive; and tiles embodying the invention, having a magnetised backing surface and a decorative upper surface, could simply be laid on top of the initial layer of tiles. This would result in a floor covering having all the advantages of ease of laying and removal given by the invention, but the magnetic attraction of the decorative tiles to the "floor" would be even greater than in the case where ferro-magnetic studs, strips or plates are used. Such a floor would also effectively have two thicknesses of resilient material. The need for any form of underlay would be eliminated, and a "cushioned" effect would be given to the floor in use. In any embodiment of the invention in which one magnetised surface overlies, and is required to "cling" to, another, the two surfaces will obviously have to be oppositely magnetised. The following claims are to be interpreted with that in mind. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A planar floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, tile or mat, whose backing surface incorporates particles which have been magnetised, the magnetised particles being sufficiently close to the surface of the backing layer, or sufficiently strongly magnetised, or both, as to cause the floor covering to "cling" to a ferro-magnetic strip, a series of ferro-magnetic studs, or another magnetised surface secured to or forming part of a floor surface, when the covering is disposed thereon.

2. A method of securing a planar floor covering detachably in position on a floor surface, the method involving the use of strips, studs or sheets of planar material incorporating particles which have been magnetised and comprising the steps of securing such strips, studs or sheets to the backing surface of the floor covering, or to the floor surface itself; securing to, respectively, the floor surface or the backing surface of the floor covering further strips, studs or sheets of magnetised or of ferromagnetic material; and positioning the magnetised material and the aforesaid further material in such a way that when the floor covering is laid in a desired position on the floor surface the magnetised material will overlie the said further material (or vice versa) and cause the floor covering to "cling" to the floor in that position.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the planar floor covering is made of flexible material.

4. The invention defined in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the magnetised particles are incorporated into strips or sheets of flexible resilient material which are initially separate from the backing surface of the floor covering but which have been secured thereto.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, in which the strips of magnetised flexible resilient material are first secured to a bearing strip which is in turn secured to the backing surface of the floor covering.

6. A planar floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, tile or mat whose backing surface is constructed substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

7. A method of securing the floor covering of claim 6 detachably in position on a floor surface, the method comprising the steps substantially as set forth herein with reference specifically to the accompanying drawing.