Presses – Methods – With heating or cooling
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-03
2004-03-16
Ostrager, Allen (Department: 3725)
Presses
Methods
With heating or cooling
C156S304400, C156S304700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06705215
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tools for assisting in flooring installation and, more specifically, to a Carpet Seam Press.
2. Description of Related Art
A critical component of the installation process for conventional carpeting (and other sheet-type flooring) involves the completion of a seam between two adjoining sections or sheets of carpet (or other flooring). Sections of carpet are joined together where one section, by itself, is insufficient to cover the entire floor space of a particular room or series of rooms. In such cases, two carpet sections are typically joined by a seam in some inconspicuous place, such as in a doorway or archway. Although the location of the seam can assist in hiding it from being detected, it is also important that the patterns of the two sheets of carpet match, and also that the seam is extremely flat and smooth. If we turn to
FIG. 1
, we can examine how the conventional seaming process is implemented.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the conventional carpet seaming process. As shown, a first carpet section
10
and a second carpet section
12
are joined together to form a seam
14
between the two. The seam
14
is generally created by placing segments
10
and
12
in close alignment, such that the edges
16
and
18
of the sections
10
and
12
are touching each other along their lengths. Beneath the edges
16
and
18
(placed there prior to the edges being carefully aligned) is a length of seam tape
20
. The seam tape
20
is made from a material that, when pressed by a heated tool, will melt and/or otherwise adhere the two sections
10
and
12
together, forming a smooth seam
14
. Although it is also possible that the sections
10
and
12
will also be sown together, in these cases, the seam
14
will first be formed with the seam tape
20
, and then be sown.
In order to cause the seam tape
20
to adhere the two sections
10
and
12
together, it is common for the installation person to use a conventional clothes iron
22
. The iron
22
will typically include an electric cord
24
that is plugged into a wall socket or extension cord (not shown), until it reaches the desired temperature. Next, the iron
22
is slipped under the edges
16
and
18
and onto seam tape
20
, and held there until the seam tape
20
reacts to become sticky. Once a particular section of tape
20
becomes sticky, the iron
22
is moved to the next section; when the iron
22
is moved, the two edges
16
and
18
drop onto the sticky seam tape
20
, where they are bonded (once the tape
20
cools). The iron
22
is then slowly slid down the length of the edges
16
and
18
of the sections
10
and
12
until the entire seam
14
is formed.
In order to prevent the edges
16
and
18
from curling up after the seam tape
20
has begun bonding and the iron
22
has been slid to the next portion to be seamed, the installation person will many times use some weighted object to briefly press and hold down the edges
16
and
18
until such time as the seam tape
20
cools enough to make the seam
14
complete. Frequently the weighted object that the installation person chooses to use is a masonry brick wrapped in a protective sheet, such as aluminum foil or plastic wrap. The problem with this approach is that the wrapped brick tends to heat up with continued use, making it less and less effective at cooling the seam down quickly. What is needed is a seam pressing device that actually assists in cooling down the carpet seam
14
during the seaming process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and methods, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Carpet Seam Press. It is a further object that the press include means for cooling and pressing a recently-formed seam between two adjoining sections of carpet. The press should further include a light projecting from at least one end for illuminating confined work areas. Still further, it is an object that the press include a bottom plate having several small holes formed in it and fans for forcing air through those holes and onto the seam being pressed and cooled. It is a further object that the press provide an electrical convenience outlet to eliminate the need for more than a single extension cord.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4671977 (1987-06-01), Berry
patent: 4699686 (1987-10-01), Franke
patent: 5089080 (1992-02-01), Ramirez et al.
patent: 5250139 (1993-10-01), Hall
patent: 5876278 (1999-03-01), Cheng
patent: 2002/0170658 (2002-11-01), Bennett
Nguyen Jimmy T
Ostrager Allen
Steins & Associates, P.C.
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