US20010025681A1 - Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation - Google Patents
Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010025681A1 US20010025681A1 US09/766,754 US76675401A US2001025681A1 US 20010025681 A1 US20010025681 A1 US 20010025681A1 US 76675401 A US76675401 A US 76675401A US 2001025681 A1 US2001025681 A1 US 2001025681A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- floor covering
- edge
- face
- hot air
- air gun
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F21/00—Implements for finishing work on buildings
- E04F21/20—Implements for finishing work on buildings for laying flooring
- E04F21/22—Implements for finishing work on buildings for laying flooring of single elements, e.g. flooring cramps ; flexible webs
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F21/00—Implements for finishing work on buildings
- E04F21/0076—Implements for finishing work on buildings for marking and cutting tiles
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
- Y10T156/17—Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means
- Y10T156/1788—Work traversing type and/or means applying work to wall or static structure
Definitions
- This invention relates to the manufacture and installation of flooring, particular including modular textile face flooring such as flooring modules having a woven, tufted, fusion bonded or other textile fiber face, and to the treatment of such flooring to alter the appearance of portions of the flooring face, such as to impart the appearance of “grout” lines.
- Modular floor covering having a textile face layer such as conventional carpet tile and the floor covering described in Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No. PCT/US98/21487 entitled “Floor Covering with Woven Face,” can be manufactured with a treatment at the edge of the modules that results, upon installation, in floor covering that appear to have “grout lines” between adjacent modules.
- Techniques for accomplishing such appearance during manufacture are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/130,795 entitled “Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment” and 60 / 148 , 043 entitled “Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment and Machine and Method for Making Same,” and Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No.
- This invention makes it possible to impart a “grouted edge” appearance to the face of a floor covering in the field during installation of the floor covering.
- An energy source for produce relatively focused energy which can be a heat source such as a hot air gun, is mounted on a carriage. If a hot air gun is used, air gun is delivered through a tip shaped to heat a peripheral portion of the floor covering. Rollers on a lower portion of the carriage provide alignment and control for directing the heat or other energy to the desired portion of the floor covering while moving the carriage relative to the floor covering.
- FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a hand apparatus including a hot air gun for imparting a grouted edge appearance to floor coverings.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the tip of the hot air gun treating a floor covering.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an arm, roller, guide roller, base plate and hot air gun of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a stanchion, fasteners, and handle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 5 is a rear elevation schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 6 is a top elevation schematic view of the base plate, arms and handle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- this invention is an apparatus 8 for mounting a hot air gun 22 , such as, for example, a Leister Hot Air Welder model number 1G3, available from Heely Brown Company, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., United States of America.
- the hot air emerges from a tip 24 having an orientation making it possible to position the tip 24 above a floor covering module immediately adjacent to the module edge.
- a base plate 10 rests on top of the face of floor covering 12 to be treated on rollers 14 that contact the floor covering 12 and thereby provide first reference structure for maintaining a selected height of the heat gun above the floor covering face.
- Second reference structure for maintaining a selected relationship between the heat gun and the edge of the floor covering 12 is provided by guides in the form of two arms 16 that are adjustably mounted to project horizontally from base plate 10 by an amount that can be adjusted.
- Each arm 16 terminates in a leg 18 projecting down, which in turn terminates in a bearing such as a guide roller 20 that bears against the edge of floor covering 12 being treated.
- the guide rollers 20 working in cooperation with the rollers 14 provide control and stability so that an operator can efficiently impart hot air to the floor covering 12 in a predetermined area, such as a narrow portion or strip of the face of the floor covering adjacent to the edge of the flooring covering.
- the hot air gun 22 is adjustably mounted on base plate 10 in a manner that positions the tip 24 of hot air gun 22 immediately above floor covering 12 and adjacent to the edge 26 of floor covering 12 .
- Such a mounting can utilize a sloping gusset or carriage 28 bolted to stanchion 30 with adjustable fasteners 32 permitting adjustment in the height of hot air gun 22 above floor covering 12 .
- a handle 34 affixed to stanchion 30 can be useful in operating this apparatus.
- a heater bracket 36 adjustably attaches the hot air gun 22 to the stanchion 30 .
- Operation is accomplished by positioning the guide roller 20 against the edge 26 of floor covering 12 so that tip 24 of gun 22 is immediately above the surface of floor covering 12 to be treated. Then, with hot air gun 22 on, the apparatus is moved along the edge 26 at a rate resulting in the desired treatment of floor covering edge 26 .
- Apparatus that deposits material on the floor covering could also be combined with or substituted for the hot air gun or other energy source, so that such compositions or colorants provide or contribute to the alteration in the appearance of portions of the floor covering achieved by use of this invention.
- numerous variations in the configuration of the structure are possible, such as substitution of other structures for the rollers and bearings, or omission of the rollers or bearings and use of structure that simply slides on or against the floor covering, among many other possibilities.
- horizontal adjustment of the position of the hot air gun relative to the edge of the floor covering could be achieved in a structure having fixed rather than adjustable arms but in which the position of the hot air gun is adjustable horizontally.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Lining Or Joining Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
- Floor Finish (AREA)
- Coating Apparatus (AREA)
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/177,231, filed Jan. 20, 2001, entitled “Hand Apparatus for Imparting Grouted Edge Appearance to Tile Face Floorcoverings,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
- This invention relates to the manufacture and installation of flooring, particular including modular textile face flooring such as flooring modules having a woven, tufted, fusion bonded or other textile fiber face, and to the treatment of such flooring to alter the appearance of portions of the flooring face, such as to impart the appearance of “grout” lines.
- Modular floor covering having a textile face layer, such as conventional carpet tile and the floor covering described in Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No. PCT/US98/21487 entitled “Floor Covering with Woven Face,” can be manufactured with a treatment at the edge of the modules that results, upon installation, in floor covering that appear to have “grout lines” between adjacent modules. Techniques for accomplishing such appearance during manufacture are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/130,795 entitled “Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment” and60/148,043 entitled “Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment and Machine and Method for Making Same,” and Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No. PCT/US00/01717 entitled “Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment,” all of which applications are incorporated herein by this reference. Because of the need to cut floor covering modules to shapes required to conform to the floors where such modules are installed, and the need to cut the floor covering in roll goods or in broadloom installations, it is desirable to be able to impart such a grouted edge treatment to floor covering in the field during installation.
- This invention makes it possible to impart a “grouted edge” appearance to the face of a floor covering in the field during installation of the floor covering. An energy source for produce relatively focused energy, which can be a heat source such as a hot air gun, is mounted on a carriage. If a hot air gun is used, air gun is delivered through a tip shaped to heat a peripheral portion of the floor covering. Rollers on a lower portion of the carriage provide alignment and control for directing the heat or other energy to the desired portion of the floor covering while moving the carriage relative to the floor covering.
- Utilizing this invention to install floor covering modules with a “grouted edge” appearance, installers install both full size modules manufactured with such an appearance and portions of such modules field cut to sizes necessary for a particular installation. After cutting modules to fit, this invention is used at the installation site to treat the module faces adjacent to the field-cut edges to match the “grouted edge” appearance of the manufactured edges.
- FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a hand apparatus including a hot air gun for imparting a grouted edge appearance to floor coverings.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the tip of the hot air gun treating a floor covering.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an arm, roller, guide roller, base plate and hot air gun of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a stanchion, fasteners, and handle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 5 is a rear elevation schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 6 is a top elevation schematic view of the base plate, arms and handle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
- As is depicted in the accompanying figures, this invention is an apparatus8 for mounting a hot air gun 22, such as, for example, a Leister Hot Air Welder model number 1G3, available from Heely Brown Company, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., United States of America. The hot air emerges from a
tip 24 having an orientation making it possible to position thetip 24 above a floor covering module immediately adjacent to the module edge. Abase plate 10 rests on top of the face of floor covering 12 to be treated onrollers 14 that contact the floor covering 12 and thereby provide first reference structure for maintaining a selected height of the heat gun above the floor covering face. Second reference structure for maintaining a selected relationship between the heat gun and the edge of the floor covering 12 is provided by guides in the form of twoarms 16 that are adjustably mounted to project horizontally frombase plate 10 by an amount that can be adjusted. Eacharm 16 terminates in aleg 18 projecting down, which in turn terminates in a bearing such as aguide roller 20 that bears against the edge of floor covering 12 being treated. Theguide rollers 20 working in cooperation with therollers 14 provide control and stability so that an operator can efficiently impart hot air to the floor covering 12 in a predetermined area, such as a narrow portion or strip of the face of the floor covering adjacent to the edge of the flooring covering. - The hot air gun22 is adjustably mounted on
base plate 10 in a manner that positions thetip 24 of hot air gun 22 immediately above floor covering 12 and adjacent to theedge 26 of floor covering 12. Such a mounting can utilize a sloping gusset or carriage 28 bolted tostanchion 30 withadjustable fasteners 32 permitting adjustment in the height of hot air gun 22 above floor covering 12. Ahandle 34 affixed tostanchion 30 can be useful in operating this apparatus. Aheater bracket 36 adjustably attaches the hot air gun 22 to thestanchion 30. - Operation is accomplished by positioning the
guide roller 20 against theedge 26 of floor covering 12 so thattip 24 of gun 22 is immediately above the surface of floor covering 12 to be treated. Then, with hot air gun 22 on, the apparatus is moved along theedge 26 at a rate resulting in the desired treatment offloor covering edge 26. - As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, numerous variations in the details of the apparatus of this invention and its use can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention and the following claims. For instance, other heat sources could be used instead of the hot air gun described as part of the illustrative embodiment of the invention described above and illustrated in the Figures. Some of such potentially usable energy sources are described in Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/US00/01717 mentioned above and incorporated herein by reference. For instance, a heated tip of metal or other appropriate material could be brought in contact with the floor covering, or a source of energy in another form could be used, such as a laser or a ultrasonic device. Apparatus that deposits material on the floor covering, such as hot melt compositions or dyes or other colorants, could also be combined with or substituted for the hot air gun or other energy source, so that such compositions or colorants provide or contribute to the alteration in the appearance of portions of the floor covering achieved by use of this invention. Similarly, numerous variations in the configuration of the structure are possible, such as substitution of other structures for the rollers and bearings, or omission of the rollers or bearings and use of structure that simply slides on or against the floor covering, among many other possibilities. Among other structural variations, horizontal adjustment of the position of the hot air gun relative to the edge of the floor covering could be achieved in a structure having fixed rather than adjustable arms but in which the position of the hot air gun is adjustable horizontally.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/766,754 US20010025681A1 (en) | 2000-01-20 | 2001-01-21 | Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17723100P | 2000-01-20 | 2000-01-20 | |
US09/766,754 US20010025681A1 (en) | 2000-01-20 | 2001-01-21 | Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010025681A1 true US20010025681A1 (en) | 2001-10-04 |
Family
ID=22647745
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/766,754 Abandoned US20010025681A1 (en) | 2000-01-20 | 2001-01-21 | Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation |
Country Status (9)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20010025681A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2004500500A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2001234513A1 (en) |
BR (1) | BR0107759A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2406690A1 (en) |
HU (1) | HUP0400947A2 (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA02007090A (en) |
PL (1) | PL365993A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001053629A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2003087467A2 (en) | 2001-06-15 | 2003-10-23 | Interface, Inc. | Modular flooring installation techniques and equipment |
CN104257239B (en) * | 2014-09-22 | 2016-05-18 | 陈�峰 | Automation Christmas tree is tied up the finished product broken string envelope line module of loose machine |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
NL8701555A (en) * | 1987-07-02 | 1989-02-01 | Forbro Krommenie Bv | IMPACT FOR FORMING GROOVES IN FLOOR COVERING MATERIAL. |
AU4727099A (en) * | 1998-06-30 | 2000-01-17 | Interface, Inc. | Ultrasonic floor covering cutting and seaming device and method |
-
2001
- 2001-01-21 US US09/766,754 patent/US20010025681A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-01-22 PL PL01365993A patent/PL365993A1/en unknown
- 2001-01-22 JP JP2001553478A patent/JP2004500500A/en active Pending
- 2001-01-22 BR BR0107759-7A patent/BR0107759A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-01-22 MX MXPA02007090A patent/MXPA02007090A/en unknown
- 2001-01-22 AU AU2001234513A patent/AU2001234513A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-01-22 WO PCT/US2001/002076 patent/WO2001053629A1/en active Application Filing
- 2001-01-22 CA CA002406690A patent/CA2406690A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-01-22 HU HU0400947A patent/HUP0400947A2/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2001053629A1 (en) | 2001-07-26 |
AU2001234513A1 (en) | 2001-07-31 |
PL365993A1 (en) | 2005-01-24 |
HUP0400947A2 (en) | 2004-08-30 |
BR0107759A (en) | 2006-02-07 |
CA2406690A1 (en) | 2001-07-26 |
WO2001053629A9 (en) | 2002-10-24 |
MXPA02007090A (en) | 2002-12-13 |
JP2004500500A (en) | 2004-01-08 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTERFACE, INC., GEORGIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NOLES, WILLIAM G.;REEL/FRAME:011776/0706 Effective date: 20010226 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, GEORGIA Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERFACE, INC.;REEL/FRAME:014910/0414 Effective date: 20031218 Owner name: WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,GEORGIA Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERFACE, INC.;REEL/FRAME:014910/0414 Effective date: 20031218 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |