GB1603118A

GB1603118A - Securing means for carpets

Info

Publication number: GB1603118A
Application number: GB4237977A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-05-17
Filing date: 1978-05-17
Publication date: 1981-11-18

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SECURING MEANS FOR CARPETS (71)I, PAUL CURTIS, a British Subject of 18, Wordsworth Avenue, Headless Cross, Redditch, Worcester, do hereby declare this invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a securing means for securing a carpet to a junction between a pair of relatively angled surfaces.

The invention was devised particularly with respect to securing carpets to stairs but the applications of the invention are more general than this. For example, the invention may be used for securing carpets which extend from a floor to an upright surface such as a wall.

The following description, will for convenience, refer specifically to the securing of fitted carpets to a flight of stairs having horizontal treads and vertical risers but it will be appreciated that the invention can be adapted for use where the angle between the surfaces to be covered is smaller or greater than a right-angle, for example for securing a carpet at the junction between a floor and a ramp.

It has previously been proposed to secure a carpet to stairs by means of rods or clips which are secured to the stairs and which engage over the carpet to clamp it in position. These have come to be regarded with disfavour because they are visible in use and mar the appearance of the carpeted stairs.

An alternative method has been proposed which is to use tackless gripper rods comprising strips of wood or metal provided with spikes which penetrate into the backing of the carpet, the strips themselves being secured to the stair tread and riser at their junction.

However, the substantial and increasing use of foam backed tufted carpets poses problems with the use of such gripper rods.

Traditional carpets having strong woven backings could withstand the action of the spikes fairly well without great damage to the carpet backing so that, when a traditional carpet became worn or if it spread in use, it was possible to pull the carpet off the gripper rods and replace it in a more suitable position. This cannot readily be done with a foam backed tufted carpet because the backing tends to tear, having been weakened partly by the stretching of the backing in the corner between the rise and the tread and partly because of the penetration of the spikes. Furthermore, the connection between a foam backed carpet and the spikes might not be sufficiently secure in use to prevent the carpet from being loosened if a sudden heavy load was imposed on it.

The remaining alternative available when securing a foam backed tufted carpet to a stairway was to use nails or tacks passing directly through the carpet into the tread, close to the riser. Such nails naturally tended to tear the carpet if there was any movement in use and, if it was attempted to lift the carpet, the nail head could pass right through the carpet and seriously damage it or could catch on the fibre of the tufting and cause ladders.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a securing means for securing a carpet which overcomes or reduces these disadvantages when used with a foam backed carpet.

According to the invention there is provided a securing means for securing a carpet to a junction between a pair of relatively angled surfaces such as a stair tread and riser, comprising, in combination: an elongate member made of resilient material and being of angled cross-section, adapted to be secured to said surfaces adjacent their junction, each limb of said angled cross-section being provided with a flange turned inward ly towards that of the other limb to define an open slot of restricted width affording clear access by a folded portion of carpet to a region within said angled cross-section; and an elongate rod-like member capable of being inserted within said folded portion of the carpet into said region, the rod-like member and the slot being so dimensioned in relation to each other that the folded portion of carpet is then firmly wedged within said region.

It will be appreciated that the size of the limbs and flanges and the transverse dimensions of the elongate member will be determined by the use to which the fixing is being put and in particular by the thickness of the carpet.

One of the flanges may be longer than the other.

Said one longer flange may have a bend such that the free end portion of the flange remote from the associated limb is less strongly angled awav from the limb than is the portion of the flange adjacent the limb.

Said other flange may be of thicker cross-section than said one flange.

Preferably, the angled section member is made by extrusion.

The invention also provides a tool for use in securing a carpet in securing means according to the first aspect of the invention.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a section through one embodiment of the invention and Figure 2 shows a section through a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a fitting tool in front elevation Figure 4 shows the tool in side elevation.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 of the draw ings the carpet fixing shown comprises a basic angled section member 10 having a pair of limbs 11 and 12. Each limb has a flange 13 or 14 projecting inwardly towards the flange of the other limb. The flanges are of the inwardly turned shape shown having rounded lips 15 directed inwardly towards a region generally indicated at 16 which is adjacent to the junction between the limbs 11 and 12.

The member is of elongate form and is secured by means of nails passing through the limbs 11 and 12, or adhesively, so that the limb 11 abuts a riser of a stair and the limb 12 abuts the tread. The corner junction between the limbs 11 and 12 is rounded to allow for any imperfections in the construction of the stairway or any accumulated dust which might be trapped in a corner.

The member is elongate and extends almost the whole way across a stair with only a small gap being left at each end.

However, it is possible to use shorter individual elements of the cross-section shown if desired. If the elements are not sufficiently long to extend right across a stair, they can be abutted end to end.

When an angle member has been secured at the junction of the tread and riser of each stair, it is possible to start fitting the carpet from one end of the flight of stairs. When the end of the carpet 17 has been secured in place, the carpet is formed into a fold which is thrust between the lips 15 at the ends of the flanges 13 and 14, working from one side of the stair to the other, so that a fold of the carpet 17 lies within the region 16.

The tool 22 shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings may be used to simplify this operation. This tool comprises a generally flat and rigid piece of material having one end 23 of generally tapering chisel like form, affording a chisel like edge 24. The edge 24 can be used for inserting the carpet firmly into the gap and ensuring that the fold which is thus formed extends right into the interior of the region 16.

The remote end of the tool is narrower in the plane of the tool and affords a rounded end 25 which, as best seen in Figure 4, has a concave groove 26.

At the stage of fitting described above, where the carpet has simply been inserted between the lips 15, it could readily be withdrawn simply by pulling and could not be regarded as secure enought to use in this condition. The rounded end 25 of the tool is used in the next stage of the operation.

A dowel rod 18 is selected such that it can be forced through the gap between the layers of folded carpet in the direction generally indicated by the arrow 19 so that the dowel rod 18 becomes enclosed by the fold of the carpet 17 and wedges it in position so that it cannot readily be withdrawn through the slot defined between the lips 15 of the flanges. In this condition, the carpet is securely held in place, as shown in Figure 1.

The dowel rod conforms generally to the groove 26 in the end 25 of the tool and it is positioned by working from one side of the stair tread to the other using the tool engaging the dowel rod and forcing it firmly through the gap between the layers of folded carpet.

It will be seen that no sharp bends are made in the carpet backing and hence this is unlikely to be damaged. Furthermore, the pressure exerted on the carpet backing by the carpet fixing is spread over a considerable area and there is a reduced tendency to localised damage of the backing.

The scale of the drawing is enlarged by a factor of 4 to 1 compared with the actual channel. Thus, the channel does not take up very much room on the stair and does not substantially restrict the size of the tread. In use, it is not possible to see any part of the fixing because it is entirely obscured by the carpet. The carpet simply appears to run smoothly down the risder, slightly forward to a pinch fold and then fully forward across the tread of the stair, giving a pleasing aesthetic appearance.

In use, the carpet may stretch or may start to become worn and it is then possible to remove it from the fixing without the extensive damage which has resulted with previous types of fixing, particularly with the use of foam backed tufted carpets.

In order to remove the carpet readily, the gap at one end of the stair is used. The dowel rod 18 is cut to a length such that it projects slightly into this gap where it becomes accessible if the carpet folds are parted at the position indicated by the arrow 19, bearing in mind that the lips 15 no longer constrain the extreme edge portion of the carpet. The dowel 18 can be pulled outwardly and by working across the tread the entire dowel rod can be removed, whereupon the carpet can be pulled out from between the lips 15 of the flanges 13 and 14.

The position of the carpet can then be adjusted as desired and the carpet can be re-fitted. It will be appreciated that this also simplifies the total removal of carpets on moving house for example or to enable a new carpet to be laid.

In Figure 2 of the drawings, a modified embodiment is shown in which the flanges 20 and 21 are dissimilar. The flange 20 is relatively short and of thicker cross-section than the flange 21. The flange 21 is longer and thinner and is also provided with a bend 27 part of the way between the associated limb 11 and the free end portion which carries a lip 15 as before.

The longer flange 21 is more flexible than the flange 20 and, in particular, it tends to flex at the bend 27 rather than from the junction with the limb 11. This tends to improve the ease with which the carpet can be fitted to the channel whilst tending to increase the wedging effect which prevents the carpet from being withdrawn once the dowel rod 18 is inserted.

It will be appreciated that other modifications may be devised. In particular, the limbs of the angled member may not meet at right angles. The angled member may be made of springy or resilient metal or plastics material and likewise the dowel may be made of any suitable material.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A securing means for securing a carpet to a junction between a pair of relatively angled surfaces such as a stair tread and riser, comprising, in combination : an elongate member made of resilient material and being of angled cross-section, adapted to be secured to said surfaces adjacent their junction, each limb of said angled cross-section being provided with a flange turned inwardly towards that of the other limb to define an open slot of restricted width affording clear access by a folded portion of carpet to a region within said angled cross-section; and an elongate rod-like member capable of being inserted within said folded portion of the carpet into said region, the rod-like member and the slot being so dimensioned in relation to each other that the folded portion of carpet is then firmly wedged within said region.

2. A securing means according to Claim 1 wherein one of said flanges is longer than the other.

3. A securing means according to Claim 2 wherein said one longer flange has a bend such that the free end portion of the flange remote from the associated limb is less strongly angled away from the limb than is the portion of the flange adjacent the limb.

4. A securing means according to any preceding claim wherein said other flange is of thicker cross-section than said one flange.

5. A securing means according to any preceding claim wherein the angled crosssection member is made by extrusion.

6. A securing means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A securing means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A tool for use in securing a carpet in a securing means, the tool being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. very much room on the stair and does not substantially restrict the size of the tread. In use, it is not possible to see any part of the fixing because it is entirely obscured by the carpet. The carpet simply appears to run smoothly down the risder, slightly forward to a pinch fold and then fully forward across the tread of the stair, giving a pleasing aesthetic appearance. In use, the carpet may stretch or may start to become worn and it is then possible to remove it from the fixing without the extensive damage which has resulted with previous types of fixing, particularly with the use of foam backed tufted carpets. In order to remove the carpet readily, the gap at one end of the stair is used. The dowel rod 18 is cut to a length such that it projects slightly into this gap where it becomes accessible if the carpet folds are parted at the position indicated by the arrow 19, bearing in mind that the lips 15 no longer constrain the extreme edge portion of the carpet. The dowel 18 can be pulled outwardly and by working across the tread the entire dowel rod can be removed, whereupon the carpet can be pulled out from between the lips 15 of the flanges 13 and 14. The position of the carpet can then be adjusted as desired and the carpet can be re-fitted. It will be appreciated that this also simplifies the total removal of carpets on moving house for example or to enable a new carpet to be laid. In Figure 2 of the drawings, a modified embodiment is shown in which the flanges 20 and 21 are dissimilar. The flange 20 is relatively short and of thicker cross-section than the flange 21. The flange 21 is longer and thinner and is also provided with a bend 27 part of the way between the associated limb 11 and the free end portion which carries a lip 15 as before. The longer flange 21 is more flexible than the flange 20 and, in particular, it tends to flex at the bend 27 rather than from the junction with the limb 11. This tends to improve the ease with which the carpet can be fitted to the channel whilst tending to increase the wedging effect which prevents the carpet from being withdrawn once the dowel rod 18 is inserted. It will be appreciated that other modifications may be devised. In particular, the limbs of the angled member may not meet at right angles. The angled member may be made of springy or resilient metal or plastics material and likewise the dowel may be made of any suitable material. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A securing means for securing a carpet to a junction between a pair of relatively angled surfaces such as a stair tread and riser, comprising, in combination : an elongate member made of resilient material and being of angled cross-section, adapted to be secured to said surfaces adjacent their junction, each limb of said angled cross-section being provided with a flange turned inwardly towards that of the other limb to define an open slot of restricted width affording clear access by a folded portion of carpet to a region within said angled cross-section; and an elongate rod-like member capable of being inserted within said folded portion of the carpet into said region, the rod-like member and the slot being so dimensioned in relation to each other that the folded portion of carpet is then firmly wedged within said region.