US3014829A - Adhesived carpet blocks - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 E. cURTlN 3,014,829

ADHESIVED CARPET BLOCKS Filed June 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Q4 Q6 T 4 ERNEST CURTIN Dec. 26, 1961 E. cURTlN ADHESIVED CARPET BLOCKS Filed June 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 72 /l A I INVENTOR.

CURTIN ERNEST United States Patent O 3,014,829 ADMSIVED CARPET BLOCKS Ernest Curtin, 50G E. '73rd St., New York, N.`Y. Filed June 24, 1953, Ser. No. 744,161 1 Claim. (Cl. 154-49) This invention relates generally to the art of floor covering manufacture. More specifically, the invention has reference to carpeting which is in the form of cornparatively small rectangles or other shapes, all of which are identical to one another so that the small carpet units or blocks can be laid by the unskilled homeowner, in any pattern desired, to cover any particular shape or size of oor area.

Generally, the ordinary householder is not skilled in the laying of carpeting, and if, for example, it is desired that wall-towall carpeting be laid in a room, the ordinary householder would have to call in a rm or company engaged in this particular business. This, of course, is comparatively expensive, as will be readily understood.

Further, even in such instances, the carpeting requires, generally speaking, an underlying cushion or pad, adding to the cost and to the requirement of skilled labor.

.Even so, completely satisfactory results are not always obtained, especially in view of the fact that the door area to be covered may be of an unusual size or shape. This may add considerably to the cost of the carpeting, since one may have `to purchase a piece of carpeting of more or less conventional width or size, a substantial part of which must be discarded after the carpeting has been cut to tit the particular, unusually shaped floor area.

`As one important object of the present invention, accordingly, it is proposed to manufacture floor carpeting, which can be of the twist, deep pile, or any other Wellknown type lof rug or carpet, inthe yshape of uniformly `dirnensioned units, which can be purchased in any desired number and which can be laid in abutting relation 'by the ordinary home owner, to produce a particular door covering effect.

Another object is to provide door carpeting as stated wherein each unit Will be so constructed as to include not vonly a pile type of carpeting or other covering, but also, a cushion or padding to which the covering is ad- =hesive1y or otherwise permanently attached. In this way, the carpeting units Will be provided with their own, .integral pad so as to eliminate the necessity of purchasing separate cushions or pads.

Another object is to include in the carpeting units not `only the pile or nap and the associated cushion, but also, Aan adhesive backing on the underside ofthe cushion, which lwill provide a mastic-type connection of the carjpeting to the oor surface, designed to keep the carpet permanently attached to the` floor surface, without possibiity of movement thereof, Wrinkling, etc. way, the floor carpeting units can be laid in a manner -quite similar, in some respects, to the laying of floor `tiles vof 'asphalt tile `material or the like.

Another object is to provide a protective sheet Vadhesively engaging the cement or adhesive backing, so 4as to :permit handling of the device, said sheet being removable at -the time the carpet units are to be laid, with a minimum amount of diiculty.

For further .comprehension of the invention, .and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference Ywill be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of theinvention are ;more particularly set forth.

n the accompanying drawings forming a material part 'of this idisclosure:

lFIG. l is a 4perspective view showing a plurality of carpet units laid in a corner of a room, the room being In this -l (iii JCC

FlG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of a modified form of carpet unit, one corner being turned upwardly from the backing sheet to show the construction of the back surface.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FiG. 7 is a reduced bottom plan view of still another modified form, a portion of the backing sheet being pulled away.

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing abutting portions of two of the carpe units formed as in FIG. 7.

PIG. -9 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary perspec tive view looking upwardly at one of the carpet units shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FlG. `l0 is a reduced bottom lplan View, a portion of .the backing sheet rbeing pulled away, showing still another modication.

FIG. ll is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the carpet unit shown in FIG. 10, similar to FlG. 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the carpeting unit comprising the present invention has beenv generally designated lil, and in FIG. 1 `has been shown as it would appear when laid upon the floor 12 of a room including the Walls 14. The arrangement shown is merely typical, and Vit will be understood that the carpeting units could be laid whereverv desired, and might iind particular adaptability, for example, when used as carpeting on stair treads. In such instance, the surface to be carpeted would be relatively narrow, and three or four of the squares, or other shaped units, laid in abutting, side-byside relation, may be suliicient to provide a non-slip, attractive carpeting for each tread of a stairway.

All the carpet units are identical, so that the descripltion of one will sutiice Yfor all. `Referring-now to FIG. 4, wherein the square unit has `been yshown in Across section, it will be noted that each unit Vincludes a relatively thick, flat backing pad or cushion 16. In a preferred embodiment, this would be formed of a sponge rubber, either natural or synthetic. Further, the ,backing pad would be characterized by vits strong `resistance to `permanent compression, and in a ltypical embodiment a comparatively hard `backing possessed of alow resiliencycharacteristic might tbe employed, to provide the necessary :strengthwhile stillproducing the desired cushioning action. Overlying the backing pad 16 with its lperiphery in registration with that of the backing pad is a lamination of carpeting. rilhiscornprises a coverlayer, and includes theusual Tfabricbacldng 18, to `which is connected thepile or nap 22. The fabric backing 18 is secured, over its full .'area, tofthettoprsurfaceof the backing pad `16 4by means of a suitableadhesive or cement Ztl. Other means, of course, ycan he employed for effecting the permanent connection Aof the pile tothe backing.

tacIry.

.Adhesive yused to cement Vtiles and equivalent Vfloor coverings to floor surfaces may be employed to advantage as an adhesive backing for the carpeting unit comprising the present invention. In this connection, it would be desirable Ato initially cover the adhesive backing 24 completely, by means of a cover sheet 26 which could be a thin sheet of suitable material such as a thin, flexible, sheet plastic. Then, when the .carpet unit is to be laid, sheet 26 is removed, exposing the adhesive 24. If the adhesive is of the pressure-sensitive type, one need merely exert a strong, uniform pressure downwardly upon the carpet unit to cause the same to be adhesively connected to the door.

The carpet units are laid in the same as that in which floor tiles are laid, as will be apparent from FIG. 1, that is, the units are in edge-abutting relation. In this connection, a desirable characteristic resides in the fact that the pile, being relatively high, tends to eliminate lines along which the units abut. In other words, the pile of adjacent units meets above the line of abutting relation thereof, so that said lines are substantially concealed. Said lines have been shown, of course, in FIG. 1 purely for the purpose of illustrating clearly the number and relative arrangement of the carpet units.

yIn FIG. there is shown a modified construction wherein thecarpeting unit 28 is of the same size and shape as the square unit 10. In this form, however, the backing pad 30, which is similar to the backing pad 16, has shallow bottom recesses, the shape and arrangement of which will be described in detail hereinafter.

Referring to FIG. 6, the backing pad 30 is covered by the carpeting 32, which includes a fabric backing land the pile or nap '34, the backing 32 being secured to pad 30 by adhesive 36.

Pad 30 on its bottom is provided with adhesive 3S similar to the adhesive or cement 24. In this connection, at uniformly, closely spaced intervals over the full area of the backing pad, the bottom surface of the backing pad is formed with shallow, rectangular recesses 40, and at the location of the recesses 4t) the adhesive 38 is omitted.

This provides a waie-like or gridiron effect on the underside of the carpeting unit, which increases the resiliency thereof considerably. In other words, although the material may be a relatively low-cost, low resiliency type of cushion, the rectangular recesses 40 add measurably to the compressibility of the same.

At the same time, of course, there is a highly desirable gripping of the iioor surface by the adhesive 38, since a substantial portion of the bottom area of the carpet unit remains covered with the adhesive.

A suitable, thin, cover sheet 42 covers the adhesive while the carpet unit is awaiting sale and final use, and can be removed in the same manner as the sheet 26 of the first form.

In FIGS. 7-9'there is shown another modification. Y

The carpet unit in this instance has been generally designated 44 and is so designed as to provide a particularly strong gripping action between adjacent, abutting square units, which gripping action is exerted also directly against the floor surface at the abutting peripheries ofthe several square units. In this form of the invention, the carpet unit again includes a thick, resilient'backing pad 46, and a cover lamination of carpeting includes a fabric backing 48 from which extends the pile or nap Si), said backing 48 being adhesively secured as at 52 to the top surface of the pad 46.

In this form of the invention, there are provided peripheral channels S4 on the underside of the backing pad. Channels 54 are relatively narrow, and each carpet unit has a continuous channel 54, as will be clearly apparent from FIG. 9. Channels 54, as will be noted from FIG. 9, have their-outer walls cut away as at S6. In other words, each carpet unit has Ia peripheral recess 56 communicating with a channel 54 disposed along the inside edge of the cut away portion 56.

The result is that there is a relatively deep channel of adhesive, so that the adehsive 58 not only covers the backing surface of the carpet unit, but also flows into channels 54 and cut away portions 56 so as to provide a thick bead of adhesive along the periphery of each unit.

The result of this arrangement is that there is a particularly thick adhmive bond between each carpet unit and the floor surface 12, through the full periphery of each unit. This adhesive bond, it should be noted, has a further important characteristic. It has the characteristic of bonding at its outer side directly to the corresponding adhesive bond of an adjacent, abutting carpet unit.

The effect is that all the carpet units when connected together form almost an integral piece of carpeting, so far as the strength of their connection to each other is concerned. At the same time, a particularly eifective, strong bond to the oor surface results.

In FIGS. 10 and ll there is shown another form wherein the carpet unit 62 has a thick backing pad 64 similar to the previously described backing pads, to the top surface of which is secured la fabric backing 66 of a carpet that includes the pile 68. In this form, along each side of the carpet unit there is a narrow channel 70, the several channels being spaced from each other at their adjacent ends. The channels provide Wells for the adhesive, and in use, when the carpeting is applied, the adhesive within each well is adapted to provide a particularly strong bond between .the carpet unit and the floor surface along the lines of the several channels. In other words, the backing pad 64 is exposed to the adhesive in the narrow area defined by each channel, along the opposite side walls of the channel and along the bottom wall. There is thus a particularly, specially increased area of exposure of the backing pad 64 to the adhesive, wherever there is a channel 70.

All forms of the invention have the desirable characteristic wherein the backing pad provides the same cushioning eifect as an ordinary rug pad. At the same time, there is also a strong anchoring means for connecting the carpet unit securely to the door surface. Still further, the carpet units can be purchased in any desired number, and can be arranged in any Way desired, While being laid in a professional manner by a relatively inexperienced person.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

In a oor covering, a small carpet unit adapted to be laid on a iioor surface in abutting relation to like other units, said unit including a backing pad and a cover piece overlying the backing pad and having a nap, the cover piece including a fabric backing and a pile extending upwardly from said backing, said fabric backing being adhesively connected to one face of the backing pad, the backing pad being of comparatively thick formation over its full area, and being formed Wholly of a resiliently compressible material, said unit further including a layer of adhesive covering the other face of the backing pad for attaching the same to a iloor surface, said backing pad including on Iits underside a plurality of marginal channels in which the adhesive extends, the backing pad further including peripheral cut away portions disposed between and intersecting the channels and the periphery of the backing pad, the adhesive extending into the peripheral cut away portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS (Other references on following page) 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Fischer Oct. 11, 1932 Atwood Oct. 20, 1936 Engert et al. Dec. 2, 1941 Ketay et al. Mar. 14, 1950 Marco June 9, 1953 Wright Nov. 20, 1956 Roberts J-an. 1, 1957 Gordon Oct. 14, 1958 6 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Apr. 16, 1936 OTHER REFERENCES

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