Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Processes – Assembling exposed modules
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-05-22
Callo, Laura A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Processes
Assembling exposed modules
C052S749100, C052SDIG001, C254S011000, C254S015000, C254S017000, C269S904000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233899
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention relates to tongue-and-groove materials. In particular, apparatus and methods are described herein for installing tongue-and-groove materials.
BACKGROUND
Tongue-and-groove materials find many and varied uses in building construction. They may be employed as flooring and/or sub-flooring, under-layment, siding, wall material, ceiling material, roofing material, and so forth. The firm engagement of adjacent pieces of tongue-and-groove material along substantially the entire length of their common edges yields a structurally sound continuous installed surface. This feature is especially important for siding and roofing materials where the tongue-and-groove material is often utilized to form a weather barrier, and for flooring where the tongue-and-groove material must bear substantial loads. It is therefore quite important that adjacent pieces of tongue-and-groove materials be fully and properly engaged when they are installed.
As tongue-and-groove materials are installed, it is therefore necessary to apply substantial force to completely insert the tongue of one piece of tongue-and-groove material into the groove of an adjacent piece, and to apply that force over substantially the entire length of the pieces. This force is frequently applied as a series of abrupt impacts, accomplished by hitting or tapping a piece of tongue-and-groove material with a hammer or similar tool, sometimes with an intervening block or pull-bar. While often effective, this common method of installation has significant drawbacks. The series of impacts along the length of a piece of tongue-and-groove material being installed, while engaging the segment of the piece in the immediate area of the impact, will often also jar other segments of the piece or adjacent pieces loose. This results in a slow and tedious installation process, wherein the same segments and pieces of tongue-and-groove material must be hit and re-hit many times until one happens to get everything “just right”. This is a particularly vexing problem with tongue-and-groove flooring materials, including laminate flooring materials, which must be glued together as they are installed. With laminate flooring materials, it is absolutely essential for proper performance of the installed floor that the pieces of flooring be evenly forced together and firmly held as the glue sets or cures, thereby yielding a continuous glue seal along the entire edge of each piece of flooring. The constant jostling of pieces that results from repeated hammer blows renders this procedure quite difficult.
Another obvious drawback of such a method is the damage to the tongue-and-groove material that can and does frequently occur as it is repeatedly whacked with a hammer, even when an intervening block or pull-bar is used. The tongues and/or grooves may be damaged, disturbing the structural integrity of the finished area of installed tongue-and-groove material and/or the sealed edges desired upon installation. Damage to the exposed surface of the material may also result from repeated impacts during installation, resulting in cosmetic damage to the finished installed surface and/or reduced useful life of the installed surface.
It is therefore desirable to provide methods and apparatus for installing tongue-and-groove materials which avoid these drawbacks of current installation apparatus and methods.
SUMMARY
Certain aspects of the present invention may overcome one or more aforementioned drawbacks of the previous art and/or advance the state-of-the-art of apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material, and in addition may meet one or more of the following objects:
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein adjacent pieces of tongue-and-groove material are forced together without abrupt impacts;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein a piece of tongue-and-groove material need not be repeatedly forced into place;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein the tongue-and-groove material may be readily and rapidly installed;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein the likelihood of damage to the tongue-and-groove material during installation is reduced or eliminated;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein a lever may be pivotably secured to an installation surface and used to urge a piece of tongue-and-groove material being installed against an adjacent piece of previously installed tongue-and-groove material;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein a cam lever may be pivotably secured to an installation surface and used to urge a piece of tongue-and-groove material being installed against an adjacent piece of previously installed tongue-and-groove material;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein a pushing member may be employed between a lever and a piece of tongue-and-groove material being installed;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein a pushing member may be employed between a cam lever and a piece of tongue-and-groove material being installed;
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein the lever and/or pushing member may be secured to the installation surface to hold a piece of tongue-and-groove material in place during installation; and
To provide apparatus and methods for installing tongue-and-groove material wherein the cam lever and/or pushing member may be secured to the installation surface to hold a piece of tongue-and-groove material in place during installation.
One or more of the foregoing objects may be achieved in the present invention by a method for installing tongue-and-groove material, comprising the steps of: a) placing a piece of tongue-and-groove material on an installation surface adjacent to a previously installed piece of tongue-and-groove material and/or a border member; b) pivotably securing a lever or cam lever to the surface so that rotating the lever or cam lever urges the piece of tongue-and-groove material against the previously installed piece and/or the border member; c) rotating the lever or cam lever, thereby urging the piece of tongue-and-groove material against the previously installed piece and/or the border member; d) securing the piece of tongue-and-groove material to the previously installed piece, the border member, and/or the installation surface; and e) removing the lever or cam lever from the installation surface.
One or more of the foregoing objects may be achieved in the present invention by an apparatus for installing tongue-and-groove material, comprising a lever having a thrust portion and a lever end, wherein the lever is adapted to be pivotably secured to an installation surface so that rotating the lever urges a piece of tongue-and-groove material against a previously installed piece of tongue-and-groove material and/or a border member, and then removed from the installation surface after the piece of tongue-and-groove material has been secured to the previously installed piece, the border member, and/or the installation surface. The apparatus may further comprise a pushing member employed between the thrust portion of the lever and the piece of tongue-and-groove material, so that rotating the lever urges the pushing member against the piece of tongue-and-groove material, thereby urging the piece of tongue-and-groove material against the previously installed piece and/or the border member. The lever and/or pushing member may be secured to the installation surface to hold the piece of tongue-and-groove material in place while it is secured to the previously installed piece, the border member, and/or the installation surface.
One or more of the foregoing objects may be achieved in the present invention by an apparatus for installing tongue-and-groove material, comprising
Mellert Richard D.
Nystrom David N.
Alavi David S.
Callo Laura A.
Nystrom David N.
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