US2771383A

US2771383A - Combination floor covering

Info

Publication number: US2771383A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fine Robert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-01-26
Filing date: 1954-01-26
Publication date: 1956-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1973-11-20

Description

Nov. 20, 1956 R. FINE 2,771,383

COMBINATION FLOOR COVERING Filed Jan. 26. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet J jlwnir j//Eee L @wie m Nov. 20, 1956 R. FINE COMBINATION FLOOR 'COVERING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26. 1954 United States Patent C) COMBINATION FLOOR covERING Robert Fine, Chicag, nl.

Application January 26, 1954, `Serial No. 406,190 y 4 Claims. (cl. 154-49)v This invention relates to improvements in oor coverings and more particularly it relates to improvements in carpeting and underpadding for carpeting. Specifically, the invention is directed to means for combining floor carpeting and an underlying padding mat inV such a manner that they co-act one with the other to afford a unitary lloor covering.

The use of pile carpeting and rugs together with underlying felt or rubber padding as lioor coverings is well known. In kthe case of carpeting the` customary method of application to iioors involves the tting ofthe same to each room individually from wall to wall and then the fastening of the edges to the floor, as by nailing. In the event that the carpeting is being laid on a concrete iioor, the laborious and expensive preparatory operation of drilling holes in the iioor into which may be forced wooden plugs for receiving the nails must be resorted to. Moreover, once the carpet is more or less permanently fastened in place, it is most diliicult and economically non-feasible to pick them up for any purpose, including the cleaning of the same. Hence, the cleaning of the rugs necessitates the additional expense and inconvenience of a visit to the site from a professional .rug cleaner who must then clean the rug individually while it remains permanently affixed in place.

Heretofore, it has been found that despite the abovementioned objections to the permanent aflixing `or nailing of the rugs to the lioor of the room, this was the only satisfactory method of laying wall-to-wall carpeting in such a manner that the carpet would remain in immovable relationship on the floor even underfoot. Moreover, it was felt that thiswas the only satisfactory method of preventing curling of the edges of the carpet or rug.

Admittedly7 the permanent aflixing of the rug or carpet to the floor did prevent movement of the carpet and curling of the edges thereof. However, it did this at the expense and sacrifice offacility of application and ready removal and portability.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a lioor carpet which will overcome all of the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove.

An object relating thereto is to afford a carpet and mat which may be atiixed one to the other in such` a manner that the combination will be fitted to the exact dimensions of the room without requiring the permanent attachment of the carpet to the oor.

A further object is to afford a rug and mat which may be readily attached one to the other thereby providing a unitary combination lloor covering combining all of the individual properties of both the mat and the carpet and further affording a removable iioor covering which is sufliciently immobile that it will not move underfoot.

Still another object is to provide a combination floor covering which may be laid to tit any room from wall to wall and may be satisfactorily positioned therein without necessitating the marring of the oors or moulding ICC which would otherwise result from the nailing or similar axing methods heretofore utilized.

Still a further object is to afford a lightweight carpet which may be combined with a padding mat in such a manner that the mat will impart to the carpeting suicient weight and solidity to insure that the carpet will lay flat properly without curling or wrinkling.

Yet another object is to provide a wall-to-wall floor covering which may be readily maintained in a condition of sanitation and cleanliness heretofore unachievable because of the difliculty in removing the permanently affixed oor covering preparatory to transporting it to a rug cleaning establishment. An object relating'thereto is to provide simple readily detachable fasteners, such as snaps, zippers, hooks and the like, by means of which the edges of the carpet and padding mat may be attached one to the other. By detaching the carpet from the mat the carpet may be readily removed for cleaning, leaving the mat as a oor covering in the interim.

Yet a further object is to provide a fastening device for the above-described carpet and mat assembly having means for compensating for any shrinkage which might occur as a result of washing or cleaning the carpet.

Heretofore in the manufacture of carpets and rugs, it has been necessary to provide a relatively heavy stili backing for the warp pile portion of the same. For this reason the backing was made with materials such as jute iibers and the like to aiord the necessary body and stiffness. Obviously, such carpeting was quite expensive and was one of the factors which limited the more universal use of this type of lioor covering.

It is therefore another important object of this invention to provide a :combination carpet and padding mat which because they are designed to co-act as a unitary floor covering, permit the manufacture of the carpeting component with merely a thin backing sheet dispensing with the stilening fibers which have heretofore been employed therein.

As a result of the elimination of these stiffening fibers, the entire weight and bulk of the carpet may be materially reduced thereby affording a carpet which may be more readily handled and transported.

Yet a further object is to provide an improved wallto-wall oor covering which may be pre-cut to the proper shape and dimensions at the factory or salesroom or, if desired, may be cut at the site and the necessary fasteners attached after cutting.

Finally another object is to afford a combination carpet and underpad of relatively simple, inexpensive construction, yet durable and effective to accomplish the functions intended.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of :certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that Various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or 3 similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view of a corner of a room with a carpet and mat combination embodying the principles of my invention illustrated in operational position and with portions of the carpet and mat broken away to illustrate the details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation taken on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1 of the drawings and viewed in the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating details of construction of one of the fastener assemblies;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating in elevation a modified method for com,- bining the carpet and mat;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a corner of a room with my carpet and mat invention illustrated in operational position similar to that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings but illustrating the modification shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing in elevation yet another embodiment of my combination carpet and pad invention; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary t-op plan view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings with portions of the mat and carpet broken away to facilitate illustration of the fastening means.

Directing attention to Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally my combined carpet and fioor mat positioned on a corner of a room fioor 11 defined by a wall 14, a baseboard 16, and a moulding 18.

The carpet combination 10 may comprise a carpet 12 which (as noted in Fig. 3 of the drawings) may be made of pile or similar warp threads such as 14tufted Or in similar manner affixed at the base thereof to a base sheet 20. This base sheet 20 may be woven from

textile weft threads

22 and 24, such as cotton or wool, but without necessitating the interweaving or auxiliary addition of reinforcing or stiffening materials such as jute, hemp, and the like. The pile warp threads may be of any suitable material such as wool, cotton, rayon, nylon, and the like,

The other member of the combination may comprise an underpadding mat such as 26 which may be made of any satisfactory material such as felt, mohair, and the like but in the embodiment chosen for illustration is made of sponge rubber. The bottom of the mat 26 may be made with a suction cup pattern such as 28 for the purpose of assisting in maintaining the combination in immovable position on the floor.

Positioned in spaced aligned relationship with each other along the marginal edge of the pad 26 may be a plurality of fastening devices such as 30. These fasteners 30 may be of any conventional type such as hooks, zippers, buttons, etc., but in the embodiment cho-sen for illustration comprise a snap-type fastener in which a female member 32 is mounted in the pad 26 opening to the top as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. A cooperating male member such as 34 may be mounted in the bottom side of the carpet 12. The fasteners 30 may be made of any suitable material such as metal, fiber, hard rubber, plastic or the like and if desired may be clothbacked.

ln Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that the male member 34 of the fastener 30 is spaced inwardly from the edge of the carpet sufficiently so that a marginal portion 36 of the rug overlays the edges of the mat 26. In this manner a neater appearance is presented with the mat 26 completely hidden from view. As further noted in Fig. ;2 of the drawings, the extreme edge portion 38 of the carpet 12 may be folded over and stitched as at 40 for the purpose of binding the edges of the carpeting thereby preventing unravelling of the component threads.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings there is illustrated j bent under the edge of the mat 26 so that the members of the snap fastener face each other and are aligned one with the other for joining together.

It will be noted that again a marginal portion 66 of the rug is provided to overlay the edge of the mat. This overlaying marginal portion 36 affords a simple but practical means for compensating for any shrinkage which might occur during the washing or cleaning of the rug. Obviously, in the event the rug should shrink, this shrinkage may be compensated by merely reducing the width of the marginal portion 36 until the fastener elements are properly aligned.

In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings there is illustrated a `combination carpet and mat with a modified form of fastening device. Similar parts are indicated by like numerals with the added sufiix a In this modification the marginal edge of the carpet 12a is provided with a grommet 42. The adjacent marginal edge of the pad 26a is provided with a doublyapertu-red disc 44 laligned with the grommet 42. A tie string such Ias 46 may be threaded through the apertures 48 and 50 of the disc and then through the opening 51 of the grommet 42. The ends of the tie string may then be tied together as at 52. By this means the carpet may be joined to the pad in the degree necessary to insure their co-acting together in the manner desired. Additionally, however, there is provided sufficient exibility to compensate not only for shrinkage in the carpet but also to compensate for any deviation from exact alignment between the component parts of the fastening members.

From the foregoing description it should be evident that I have provided a novel carpet and pad combination by means of which wall-to-wall carpeting of the floor of a room may be accomplished without necessitating permanent attachment of the carpet to the oor as heretofore required. By eliminating the necessity of nailing or similarly afxing the carpet to the floor, the floors and moulding are preserved in their original condition without marring or piercing. The edges of the carpet and pad are joined together in such a manner that the entire pad and carpet co-act as a unitary floor covering. Thus, sufficient body and stiffness is imparted to the carpet by the pad so as to eliminate the necessity for fabricating the carpet with auxiliary stiffening fibers. For this reason also the carpet may be made with a thinner backing sheet, of a lighter weight and smaller bulk. Since the carpet and rug may be readily disengaged one from the other, the carpet may be removed as desired, especially for cleaning purposes, leaving the pad as a temporary floor covering.

lt is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A floor covering comprising, in combination, a compressiblc pad and a. carpet of substantially complemental configuration releasably held together in a unitary assembly with the vcarpet superimposed on the pad, each side edge of the carpet being substantially longer than .the adjacent side edge of the pad, a plurality of cooperable, disengagable fastening devices secured on the pad and carpet intermittently spaced along the marginal edges of each with each fastening device on the carpet aligned with a fastening device on the pad, the marginal edges of the carpet being folded over and under on all sides with the lines of fold outwardly spaced from the marginal edges of the pad to provide a relatively wide carpet hem surrounding the pad, said aligned devices being matingly engaged to hold said carpet and pad in said assembly and releasable to permit the width of the hem to be adjusted to accommodate for variation in the dimensions of the carpet.

2. A oor covering as described in claim l in which the fastening devices are provided on the undersides of said carpet and pad and the marginal edges of the pad are sandwiched in said hems.

3. A floor covering as described vin claim 1 in which the marginal edges of the pad are disposed exterior of the hems.

4. In a readily removable oor covering, comprising a light-weight unstiiened carpet and a sponge rubber pad, said carpet overlaying said pad; a plurality of multimembered fastening devices mounted in intermittent spaced relationship one with the other along the marginal edges of the carpet and pad, said fastening devices adapted to join said carpet and pad in cooperating relationship whereby the pad imparts stiffness to the carpet, each of said fastening devices comprising a grommet axed in the marginal edges of Ithe carpet, an apertured disc afxed in the marginal edge of the pad, and a tie string joining the grommet and disc together in operational relationship.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 760,392 Gullian May 17, 1904 971,511 Wolcott Sept. 27, 1910 1,859,922 Holland May 24, 1932 2,016,876 Stolzen'berg Oct. 8, 1935 2,522,612. Harben Sept. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 343,730 Germany June 15, 1919 441,239 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1936

Claims

4. IN A READILY REMOVABLE FLOOR COVERING, COMPRISING A LIGHT-WEIGHT UNSTIFFENED CARPET AND A SPONGE RUBBER PAD. SAID CARPET OVERLAYING SAID PAD; A PLURALITY OF MULTIMEMBERED FASTENING DEVICES MOUNTED IN INTERMITTENT SPACED RELATIONSHIP ONE WITH THE OTHER ALONG THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE CARPET AND PAD, SAID FASTENING DEVICES ADAPTED TO JOIN SAID CARPET AND PAD IN COOPERATING RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY THE PAD IMPARTS STIFFNESS TO THE CARPET, EACH OF SAID FASTENING DEVICES COMPRISING A GROMMET AFFIXED IN THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE CARPET, AN APERTURED DISC AFFIXED IN THE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE PAD, AND A TIE STRING JOINING THE GROMMET AND DISC TOGETHER IN OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP.