GB2115692A - Carpet fasteners - Google Patents

Abstract

A carpet fastener, which is securable to the floor of a room and which is of the type having carpet- engaging sharp-ended tangs 53, includes a channel 51 for the accommodation of electrical wiring. The open top of said channel is closed by a releasable snap-fit cover 63. Deformable flaps 57 grip the carpet. Instead of tangs, the carpet may be secured to the fastener by adhesive. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Carpet fasteners This invention relates to carpet fasteners.

Carpet fasteners exist which are in the form of strips which are secured (for example by nails) to a floor of a room near to but not in contact with the walls of the room and which have tangs (which are usually but not essentially sharp-ended) sticking in a generally upwards direction therefrom, said tangs being provided in order to engage the back of a carpet (foam-backed or otherwise) at closely spaced intervals in order to keep the carpet in position and also taut. A carpet fastener as described in the preceding sentence will hereinafter be referred to as "a carpet fastener of the type described".

Using a carpet fastener of the type described (as defined above) obviated the use of tacks driven, at close intervals, through the carpet into the floor. Such tacks had quite large heads which could be seen and the tacks inevitably become rusty and were difficult to remove. The prosion of the tanged strips represented a great step forward because the carpet fixing is completely concealed.

Moreover, with the advent of concrete floors in private houses, apartment blocks and office blocks, the fixing of carpeting by the old-fashioned method using tacks would also have presented great problems which were overcome by carpet fasteners of the type described.

It is also known to attach carpeting to floors by some form of adhesive material; this adhesive material can be, for example, a double-sided sticky tape, or it can be a plastic substance which is spread on one or both of the surfaces to be attached to one another (for example, one of the so-called contact adhesives). The use of some form of adhesive material for attachment purposes instead of tanged strips is very popular with rubber-backed or foam-backed carpeting and this may possibly be due to the rubber or foam backing being likely to be lacerated by the tangs (instead of holding the carpet) when too much tension is applied.

The principal object of the present invention is to improve carpet fasteners which are now on the market by providing an additional facility which has never so far been available.

The present invention consists, in its broadest aspect, in a carpet fastener which includes an integral open-topped channel portion for the accommodation of electrical wiring. In this manner the present invention provides not only a means for fastening a carpet in position and keeping it taut but also a neat and concealable means for accommodating telephone wiring, coaxial cable for television sets, wiring for table lamps, wiring for hi-fi equipment and so on.

In one generally preferred embodiment of said carpet fastener, there is another portion which is conjoined with said channel portion and which has the tangs which are adapted to engage the back of a carpet, and flap means conjoined both with said channel portion and with said other portion and so spaced from part of said other portion as to provide a continuous slot for the accommodation of a respective marginal portion of a carpet, said flap means having a free edge extending parallel to said channel portion and being capable of being so deformed that said free edge moves approximately in an arc towards said other portion in order to cause said marginal portion of the carpet to become gripped between said flap means and said part of the other portion.This arrangement provides a very secure fastening of the carpet because the grip exerted on the carpet between said flap means and said part of the other portion will counteract any tendency of said marginal portion of the carpet to "lift"; the result of such "lift" would probably be that the back of the carpet would disengage from all or some of said tangs.

Said flap means may consist of a plurality of flaps each of which is connected to an associated connecting piece, said flaps and connecting pieces being spaced from one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener, the arrangement being such that, prior to said deformation of the flap means and with the carpet fastener secured to the floor, each connecting piece is horizontal and extends in a direction away from the channel portion and each flap is inclined to the horizontal in an upwards direction and makes an included angle of more than 900 with its associated connecting piece.

If the open top of said channel portion is not to be closed by a cover throughout its length (namely, along all of the walls as well as across any door opening or threshold), the carpet may simply be laid over said open top along the walls and said open top may be closed by a cover at said door opening or threshold.

In a preferred embodiment of said carpet fastener, the open top of said channel portion is closed by a cover. Said cover may be made by moulding a suitable synthetic resin material and may be so made as to be easily detached from and re-applied to said channel portion. Said cover may include a passageway or passageways moulded or otherwise provided therein, said passageway and passageways permitting the extension therethrough of a coaxial cable connector and of the pins of an electrical plug, respectively.

In the case of a carpet fastener as described in the preceding paragraph, the channel portion may be provided along its entire length with first means which are complementary to and which are adapted to engage second means with which said cover is provided.

The cover which crosses the open top of the channel portion at a door opening or threshold may be so shaped as to create a chamfer which provides a smooth transition from for example a wood block or tiled floor in one room to the carpeted floor of the adjacent room.

As an alternative to a cover being snapped into the channel portion itself, a carpet fastener according to the present invention may comprise, between said channel portion and said other portion, an open-topped groove extending parallel to said channel portion, the wall portions defining the entry into said groove having undercuts providing a snap-on engagement between said wall portions and complementary connecting means on a cover which is applied to the carpet fastener in order to cover-both the open-topped channel portion and said flap means.

The cover referred to in the preceding paragraph may be an elongate strip and the complementary connecting means thereon may be a continuous bead extending parallel to the opposite edges of the strip, said bead consisting of a head which is part-spherical in cross-sectional shape and which is connected to the remainder of the strip by a neck having a dimension, measured transversely of the strip, which is less than the diameter of the sphere.

In addition to the complementary connecting means described in either of the two preceding paragraphs, the cover may be provided with a continuous nib or bead which is adapted to engage a continuous lip provided on that channel portion wall which is remote from the other portion and which is in contact with or adjacent to the wall of the room.

One suitable synthetic resin material for said cover is polychloroprene (neoprene) in its solid form. Other suitable synthetic resin materials are polyvinyl chloride and possibly low density polyethylene.

In any embodiment of a carpet fastener according to the present invention, it is preferred that each of the tangs should have relatively sharp ends and should be canted towards the channel portion at an angle falling within the range from 350 to 450 relatively to the horizontal. This range of angles is not, however, to be taken as being critical.

The carpet fastener according to the present invention and as described above, preferably consists of an extrusion (for example, of aluminium), the tangs being formed by partly piercing and forming a part of that portion of the extrusion which is parallel to (spaced from or adjacent to) and connected to the channel portion.

In another generally preferred embodiment of carpet fastener according to the present invention, there is in addition to said open-topped channel portion for the accommodation of electrical wiring a component connected to the channel portion; flap means connected to the component in such a manner as to define between them an elongate slot into which a marginal portion of a carpet can be inserted; said channel portion and said component and said flap means all extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener; said component having a surface which, in use of the carpet fastener, is adapted to support an adhesive material by means of which the back of said marginal portion is attached to the component; said flap means having a free edge extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener and being capable of being so deformed that said free edge moves approximately in an arc towards the component in order to cause said marginal portion to become gripped between said component and at least said free edge of the flap means.

According to another aspect, the present invention consists in an installation comprising a carpet fastener secured to the floor of a room adjacent to all of the walls thereof. said carpet fastener including an open-topped channel portion and a component and flap means which are all interconnected and the channel portion being in contact with or near to the walls, said flap means having a free edge, a carpet whose respective marginal portions have the back surfaces thereof attached to the upper surface of the component by an adhesive material, and said respective marginal portions being gripped between said component and at least said free edge of the flap means as a result of said flap means having been deformed in order to create said grip.

According to yet another aspect, the present invention consists in a method of laying a carpet in a room which comprises the following steps, namely, securing a length of an elongate carpet fastener to the floor of the room, said carpet fastener having an open-topped channel portion and a component and flap means which are connected to one another and extend lengthwise of the carpet fastener, said channel portion being in contact with or near to the respective wall of the room, and the component being in contact with the floor inwardly of said channel portion; applying an adhesive material to a marginal portion of the back of said carpet and/or to the upper surface of said component; placing said marginal portion on said upper surface in order to cause them to become attached to one another by said adhesive material; and deforming said flap means in such a manner that a free edge thereof is caused to move approximately in an arc and downwardly into contact with the top of said marginal portion in order to cause said marginal portion to be gripped between said component and at least said free edge of the flap means.

In the three preceding paragraphs, the term "an adhesive material" is intended to include doublesided adhesive tapes and, indeed, any suitable inorganic or organic, natural or synthetic, substance which is capable of bonding the respective substances (namely, the back of the carpet on the one hand and the material from which the component is made on the other hand) to one another by surface attachment. The carpet may be rubber-backed or foam-backed or of some other type; the preferred material for the carpet fastener (and therefore of the component) is aluminium but synthetic resin materials might prove to be acceptable. A cover may be applied to the carpet fastener which is described in any of the three preceding paragraphs, once said carpet fastener has been installed and the carpet has been attached thereto, in order to cover at least the open top of the channel portion and preferably also the deformed flap means; said cover may be as described in earlier paragraphs hereof in relation to various forms of said one generally preferred embodiment which is provided with carpet-engaging tangs.

Various embodiments and features of carpet fasteners according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 4 illustrate similar cross-sectional views of four different embodiments of carpet fastener for fixing along the walls of rooms, said carpet fasteners having had covers fitted thereto; Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate perspective views of moulded cover pieces for use at corners and another particular location; Figures 8 to 14 illustrate similar cross-sectional views of seven different embodiments of carpet fastener and fitted cover for use across door openings or threshold; Figures 1 5 and 16 illustrate end views of respective extrusions;; Figure 1 7 illustrates the combination of the extrusions of Figures.1 5 and 1 6 in situ and holding a carpet in position; Figures 1 8 is a perspective view of the carpet fastener; Figure 19 is an end view of another extrusion; and Figure 20 illustrates the Figure 19 extrusion, after completion by process steps to make it useable as a carpet fastener, in use as a carpet fastener with a cover applied.

Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings illustrate four different embodiments of such a carpet fastener, each embodiment comprising a first portion 10 and a channel portion 11 which are conjoined, the first portion 10 including integral tangs 12 canted towards the channel portion 11 at an angle of say 450 to the horizontal. All of the tangs 12 are sharp ended. The portion 10 is preferably of a height dimension H equal to or of the same order as the thickness dimension T1 of an underlay 1 3 and the channel portion 11 is of a depth dimension D equal to or of the same order as the thickness dimension T1 added to the thickness dimension T2 of a carpet 14. The carpet fastener is secured to the floor of the room by nails 15 driven through holes provided either in the portion 10 or in the channel portion 11, or in both.

The channel portion 11 is 'U' shaped in cross section. The free ends of the limbs of the 'U' are so shaped as to provide undercuts which are adapted to provide a snap-on connection with complementary undercuts on a cover 1 6. It will be seen from Figures 1 to 4 that the cover 1 6 consists of an elongate strip whose width is such that the edge portion 1 7 thereof which is further away from the wall 18 of the room covers the raw and possibly badly cut edge of the carpet. The cover will preferably be made of a material flexible enough for the edge portion 1 9 to be flexed upwardly (as illustrated) and to fit tightly against the wall.This not only presents a pleasantly curved cover which will probably keep all dust out of the channel but also enables any or most unevenness of the wall surface to be accommodated.

The cover, at any corners, may consist of specially shaped (e.g. moulded) corner pieces illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. The cover 16 (or a specially made short piece designed to be inserted in a run of a standard cover) may be provided with means permitting the connection of, for example, hi-fi equipment to wiring laid in the channel portion 11; Figure7 illustrates such a specially made short piece formed to provide parallel passageways into which the pins of a two-pin electrical plug can be inserted in order to make the necessary electrical connections.

Figures 8 to 1 4 disclose various embodiments of cover for use across door openings or thresholds. In all of said Figures except Figure 12, the cover 20 is such (when the carpet has been laid) as to conceal the underlying carpet fastener, whereas in Figure 1 2 there is illustrated a construction in which the channel portion 11 is provided with an extension 21 which provides an elongate recess into which an appropriately formed nose 22 of the cover 20 is pushed with a snap-fit.It is not considered necessary to describe each of Figures 8 to 14 in great detail because it will be obvious from the various Figures that, in each embodiment, a channel or cavity 23 is provided which extends completely across the door opening or threshold and which communicates with the channel of the channel portions 11 of the adjacent runs of carpet fastener and which will accommodate electrical wiring.

It is, however, important to point out that, in the case of each cover 20 illustrated in Figures 8 to 14, there is a chamfer which provides a gradual transition from a floor level 30 (see Figure 8) to the level 31 of the superimposed carpet and underlay.

Referring to Figures 2 and 8, the tangs 12 appear to be blunt-ended but are triangular tangs bent upwardly along their respective bases which lie parallel to the channel 11. In Figures 4, 9, and 12 to 14, the apparent lack of tangs is due to the location of the section plane; there are tangs 1 2 at spaced intervals along all of the carpet fastener embodiments.

Referring to Figure í 5, there is illustrated therein an extrusion which, after subsequent treatment for purposes to be described later, will act as a carpet fastener 50. The carpet fastener comprises a channel portion 51 and another portion 52 which are conjoined. The other portion 52 has tangs 53 (see Figures 1 7 and 18) which are adapted to engage the back of a carpet 54.

The extrusion also comprises a continuous member 55 which is conjoined not only with the channel portion 51 but also with the other portion 52 in order to provide a continuous slot 56 for the accommodation of a respective marginal portion of the carpet 54 (see Figure 17).

The tangs 53 are formed by partly piercing and forming the other portion 52 as can be seen clearly from Figures 17 and 18. The member 55 is sub-divided, in any appropriate manner, into a number of adjacent flap means which are spaced apart from one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener, each flap means comprising a flap 57 having a first (free) edge 58 which extends parallel to the channel portion 51. Each flap means is capable of being deformed (namely, bent downwardly from the position thereof shown in Figure 1 8 to the position thereof shown in Figure 1 7) in such a manner that the free edge 58 thereof moves approximately in an arc towards the other portion 52.In fact, each flap 57 is connected by its second edge (which is not indicated by a reference numeral and which is parallel to the edge 58) to a connecting piece 59 and a part of said connecting piece 59 also becomes bent inwardly into contact with the respective marginal portion of the carpet when the flap means is deformed (see Figure 17); this causes the marginal portion of the carpet to become gripped between said flap means and the relevant part of the other portion 52. It will be seen from Figure 17 that, when each flap means has been deformed in the manner described above, the respective marginal portion of the carpet will be held firmly in engagement with the nearest tang or tangs 53 and this will resist any tendency of the carpet to "lift" off the tangs.

The extrusion is not only pierced and formed, as described above, in order to produce the tangs 53 but the member 55 thereof (Figure 1 5) is also cut at predetermined intervals in order to produce the series of flaps 57/connecting pieces 59 which extends lengthwise of the carpet fastener. the cuts (whose spacing from one another could be, for example, two inches) will preferably be made in such a manner as to extend for some distance into the connecting piece 59 in each case in order to ensure that said connecting piece will be bent towards the carpet when the flap 57 is bent inwards. The thickness of the material of the connecting pieces 59 could be less than that of thc flaps 57 for the purpose of ensuring that said connecting pieces will act as hinges for their associated flaps.

The carpet fastener 50 is such that, after the extrusion has been treated to subdivide the member 55 into the series of flaps 57/connecting pieces 59 and when the fastener has been secured to a floor in readiness for the laying of a carpet, each connecting piece 59 extends horizontally in a direction away from the channel portion 51 towards its associated flap 57 and each flap makes an included angle of about 1 20C with its associated connecting piece 59.

The free edge 58 of each flap 57 could be thickened into a bead for the purpose of preventing any buckling (lengthwise of the carpet fastener) of the flap; this buckling might occur when the carpet layer hits the flaps 57, perhaps not very accurately and probably not at the midlength point of each individual flap, with a hammer or other tool.

The carpet fastener 50 includes, between the channel portion 51 and the other portion 52, an open-topped groove 60 whose entry is defined by wall portions which are provided with undercuts 61 in order to provide one half of a snap-on connection with a cover 63 which is provided with complementary connecting means 62 (see Figure 1 6). The cover 63 is preferably an extrusion of semi-rigid PVC and the complementary connection means 62 consist of a continuous bead whose cross-sectional shape comprises a part-spherical head 65 and a neck 66 whose width is less than the diameter of the sphere. The cover is also provided with a continuous nib 67 which is intended to engage a continuous lip 68 which is provided at the free end of that wall of the channel portion 51 which is placed against the wall 69 of the room.The nib 67 need not be as large as illustrated in Figures 1 6 and 17; indeed, it will probably be smaller and bead-like and of such dimensions as to enable a person to push the means 62 into the groove 60 and thereafter to push the cover 63 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 1 7 in order to cause the nib 67 to engage the lip 68.

Adjacent the groove 60, there is a portion 70 which is provided with holes at predetermined spacings, fixing nails 71 being driven through those holes into the floor to secure the carpet fastener in position.

The material used for the extrusion which is to form the principal part of the carpet fastener is preferably aluminium whereas the cover 63 may be made of other suitable synthetic resin materials than the semi-rigid PVC already mentioned; other materials could be polychloroprene (neoprene) in its solid form, and possibly low density polyethylene.

The layer 32 beneath the carpet 54 is underlay.

Figure 1 5 shows that a portion 64 of the extrusion makes an included angle of 20C with the horizontal and Figures 17 and 18 show that a number of tangs 53 are provided at or near the junction between said angled portion 64 of the portion 52 and the remaining part 65 of the portion 52 which has the remaining tangs 53.

Indeed, it is contemplated that all of the tangs 53 will be in the angled portion 64 and that the extent of the part 65 will be reduced in order to save on material and therefore cost.

Referring to Figure 1 7 again, it will be seen that deformation of the flap means at least reduces the dimension of the gap through which the marginal portion of the carpet is inserted into the slot 56, this reduction and the positioning of some of the tangs 53 serving to ensure that the marginal portion will be retained in place by the carpet fastener unless an excessive pull or tractive force is applied to the carpet. Therefore, it is considered that, depending on the amount of deformation of the flap means by the carpet fitter, the marginal portion of the carpet may be either mainly held by the tangs 53 because there is not sufficient clearance between the free edges 58 of the flaps 57 and the innermost tangs 53 to permit the carpet to be pulled past said tangs, or held by the tangs 53 and gripped between the flap means and the angled portion 64 of the portion 52.

Referring to Figures 19 and 20, which need not be described in such great detail as Figures 1 5 to 1 8 because a large proportion of the general constructional details are similar to the details already described with reference to Figures 1 5 to 18, it will be seen that the carpet fastener comprises an open-topped channel portion 70, a component 71 and flap means 72 all of which are interconnected. The carpet fastener has a cover 73 removably mounted thereon and is secured by nails 74 to a floor 75 of a room with the channel portion 70 in contact with a wall 76 of said room.

The principal and important difference between the arrangements illustrated in Figures 1 7 and 20 is that the component 71 is a flat elongate strip which is devoid of tangs. The component 71 and the flap means 72 define, between them, an elongate slot 77 for the accommodation of part of a marginal portion of a carpet 78 which may be of the rubber-backed or foam-backed type or of any other type. The component 71 has an upper surface 79 which is used as a support for a layer 80 of an adhesive material by means of which the back of the marginal portion of the carpet 78 is securely attached to the carpet fastener. Of course, the layer 80 need not, in the first instance, be applied to the surface 79; said layer 80 could be applied to the back of the carpet and then the assembly of carpet and layer 80 could be pressed against the surface 79.Alternatively, particularly if the adhesive material is one of the well-known contact adhesives, said adhesive material could be applied to the carpet back and to the surface 79 and could be allowed to dry before the two coated surfaces are brought together.

It will be seen from Figure 20 that the flap means 72 has been deformed in such a manner as to ensure that the respective part of the marginal portion of the carpet is gripped firmly between said flap means 72 and the component 71; this mechanical grip reinforces or aids the attachment by adhesive.

The component 71 is tangless. This permits cost savings in making the product because the tangs do not need to be made by part-piercing and forming. If, however, any customer wanted a few tangs per unit length of carpet fastener to be provided in order to act as a further safeguard, they could be provided but it is considered that the adhesive material and the grip between the flap means 72 and the component 71 should be sufficient to give strong attachment.

The term "an adhesive material" used above in the description of Figures 1 9 and 20 is intended to include double-sided adhesive tapes and, indeed, any suitable inorganic or organic, natural or synthetic, substance which is capable of bonding the respective substances to one another by surface attachment.

Claims (20)

1. A carpet fastener which includes an integral open-topped channel portion for the accommodation of electrical wiring.

2. A carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 1, which also includes another portion conjoined with said channel portion, tangs on said other portion which are to engage the back of a carpet, flap means conjoined both with said channel portion and with said other portion, a continuous slot for the accommodation of a respective marginal portion of a carpet and formed by the spacing of said flap means from part of said other portion, a free edge of said flap means, said free edge extending parallel to said channel portion and being so deformable that said free edge is moved approximately in an arc towards said other portion to cause the marginal portion of the carpet to become gripped between said flap means and said part of the other portion.

3. A carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 2, which further includes walls defining an opentopped groove, said groove being located between said channel portion and said other portion and extending parallel to said channel portion, said walls having corresponding portions spaced from one another, undercuts on said corresponding portions, a cover, connecting means on said cover, said connecting means being so shaped as to engage said undercuts in a releasable manner in order to mount said cover.

4. A carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said connecting means is a continuous bead and wherein said cover is an elongate strip, said strip having two opposite parallel edges and two opposite sides, said continuous bead extending parallel to said edges and projecting from one of said opposite sides, a head portion of said bead, a neck portion of said bead, said neck having opposite ends of which one is connected to the head portion and of which the other is connected to one of the opposite sides of the strip, said head portion having a maximum dimension transversely of the strip which is greater than that of the neck.

5. An elongate carpet fastener comprising: an open-topped channel portion; another portion; said channel portion and said other portion being conjoined and extending parallel to one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener; tangs on said other portion; ends on said tangs, said ends being relatively sharp for the engagement of the back of a marginal portion of a carpet and being directed towards said channel portion; an elongate cover; opposite edges of said cover; connecting means on said cover, said connecting means extending lengthwise of said cover parallel to each of said opposite edges; engagement means connected to said channel portion and extending lengthwise to the carpet fastener; said cover being detachably mounted by interengagement of said connecting means and said engagement means in order to close said open-topped channel portion.

6. An elongate carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 5, which further includes walls and a base constituting said channel portion, said base being horizontal; opposite edges of said base extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener; each of said walls having opposite edges; corresponding one edges of said walls being connected to the opposite edges of said base in order to form a substantially U-shaped channel portion; undercuts at the corresponding other edges of said walls, said undercuts constituting said engagement means connected to said channel portion.

7. An elongate carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 5, which further includes two walls and a base constituting said channel portion; opposite edges of said base extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener; each of said wails having opposite edges; corresponding one edges of said walls being connected to the opposite edges of said base in order to form a substantially U-shaped channel portion; a third wall and a second base; said third wall and said second base being connected to one another and to said channel portion and to said other portion in order to form an open-topped groove which extends lengthwise of the carpet fastener parallel to said channel portion and which is located between said other portion and said channel portion; corresponding free edges of one of said two walls and said third wall;; undercuts at said corresponding free edges, said undercuts constituting said engagement means connected to said channel portion.

8. An elongate carpet fastener comprising an open-topped channel portion; another portion; said channel portion and said other portion being conjoined and extending parallel to one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener; means defining an opan-topped groove; undercuts on said means at the entry into said groove; flap means connected both to said channel portion and to said other portion; units spaced from one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener and collectively constituting said flap means; each unit consisting of a flap and a connecting piece; a free edge on said flap and an edge on said connecting piece, the edge on said connecting piece being joined to the channel portion and to the other portion; relatively sharp-ended tangs on said other portion for the engagement of the back of a marginal portion of a carpet;; a space defined by said flap means and said other portion, said space extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener and being large enough to permit the insertion of a part of said marginal portion of the carpet thereinto; said flap means being deformable towards said other portion in order to reduce said space to such an extent as to make it impossible for said part of said marginal portion to be moved out of said space past at least some of said tangs.

9. An elongate carpet fastener as claimed in Claim 8, which further includes groove means extending parallel to and located between the channel portion and the other portion; an elongate cover covering said channel portion and the deformed flap means; upper and lower surfaces on said cover; a bead attached to the lower surface of said cover; a neck by means of which said bead is attached to said lower surface, said neck being of smaller dimension transversely of the cover than the maximum dimension of the bead; said bead being an interference fit in said groove means.

10. An installation comprising an elongate carpet fastener secured to a floor adjacent to the walls of a room; electrical wiring accommodated in said carpet fastener in a concealed manner: and a carpet covering said floor and whose marginal portions are engaged by said carpet fastener; an open-topped channel portion and another portion connected to one another and constituting part of said carpet fastener, said other portion being nearer to the middle of the room than said channel portion and the electrical wiring being accommodated in said channel portion; tangs on said other portion; sharp ends on all of said tangs, said tangs being angled towards said channel portion and engaging the back of said marginal portions; flap means connected to said channel portion and to said other portion;; said flap means terminating in a free edge and said free edge extending parallel to the channel portion and to the other portion and to the respective wall of the room; the free edge of said flap means being farther away from the channel portion than any other part of the flap means and also being positioned above part of said other portion; said flap means being deformed in such a manner that at least said free edge thereof is in contact with the respective marginal portion of the carpet, thereby preventing the respective marginal portion of the carpet from being pulled past said tangs; and elongate cover means covering the open top of said channel portion and said deformed flap means.

1 1. An elongate carpet fastener comprising an open-topped channel portion; a component; said channel portion and said component being conjoined and extending parallel to one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener; flap means connected to the component in such a manner as to define between them an elongate slot for the insertion thereinto of a marginal portion of a carpet; said flap means and said slot extending parallel to one another lengthwise of the carpet fastener; a surface of said component, said surface being adapted to support an adhesive material by means of which the respective side of the marginal portion is to be attached to said surface; a free edge of said flap means;; said flap means being deformable in such a manner that said free edge can be caused to move approximately in an arc towards the component in order to grip said marginal portion of carpet between said flap means and said component.

12. An installation comprising an elongate carpet fastener secured to a floor adjacent to the walls of a room; electrical wiring accommodated in said carpet fastener in a concealed manner; a carpet covering said floor and having marginal portions attached to said carpet fastener; an open-topped channel portion and a component connected to one another and constituting part of said carpet fastener, said component being nearer to the centre of the room than the channel portion, and the electrical wiring being accommodated in said channel portion; an adhesive material; marginal portions of said carpet; said adhesive material being in contact with said component and with said marginal portions and providing a bond between said component and said marginal portions by surface attachment;; flap means connected to said channel portion and to said component and extending lengthwise of the carpet fastener parallel to the channel portion and to the component; a free edge of said flap means; said flap means having been deformed downwardly into contact with that surface of the marginal portions of the carpet which is not bonded to said component, said deformation having resulted in said marginal portions being mechanically gripped between the component and the flap means,

13. An installation as claimed in Claim 12, which further includes elongate cover means covering the open top of said channel portion.

14. An installation as claimed in Claim 13, wherein said elongate cover means additionally covers said deformed flap means.

1 5. A method of laying a carpet in a room and comprising the following steps: securing to the floor of said room a length of an elongate carpet fastener which includes an opentopped channel portion which is connected to a component and to flap means, with the channel portion in contact with or adjacent to the respective wall of the room and with the component in contact with the floor inwardly of the channel portion; applying an adhesive material to a marginal portion of the back of the carpet to be laid and/or to the exposed surface of said component; placing said marginal portion on said exposed surface in order to cause them to become attached to one another by said adhesive material;; deforming an elongate flap means which is connected to the channel portion and to the component and which has a free edge extending parallel to the channel portion and to said component, said deformation being effected in such a manner as to cause said free edge to move approximately in an arc and downwardly into contact with the upper surface of said marginal portion, thereby ensuring that said marginal portion is mechanically gripped between said component and said deformed flap means.

16. A method as claimed in Claim 15, which includes the further steps of arranging electrical wiring in said channel portion and thereafter covering both the open top of the channel portion and the deformed flap means by a cover.

1 7. A carpet fastener constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of Figures 1 to 14, in Figures 15to 18, or in Figures 19 and 20 of the accompanying drawings.

1 8. An installation substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of laying a carpet in a room substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. Any features of novelty, taken singly or in combination, of the embodiments of the various aspects of the invention hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.