US2779048A - Fastener for floor coverings - Google Patents

Description

1957 w. J. LARABELL FASTENER FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Filed May 27, 1954 Inventor Attorney FASTENER FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Wilfred J. Larahell, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 27, 1954, Serial No. 432,782

3 Claims. (Cl. 164) This invention relates to fastening devices, and more particularly to fastening devices adapted to secure the edge of a carpet, rubber mat or other floor covering to a mold ing similar to the sill plate commonly employed in automobiles.

A great variety of devices have been developed and used for securing the edge of a carpet to the floor of a home so that the edge of the carpet may not be curled or pulled away from the floor in normal use. This fastening problem also exists in automobiles where a carpet, rubber mat or other floor covering is presently employed on the floor to enhance the beauty and to increase the comfort thereof. As in the case of carpeting for dwellings, a variety of fastening devices have been developed for use in automobiles to secure the edge of the carpet to the floor so that the carpet will not roll and otherwise move out of position in relatively more severe normal use, such as the frequent entry and exit of passengers into and from the vehicle.

While these fastening devices for automobile carpets have satisfactorily performed their intended function of overlying the carpet edge and exerting downward pressure thereon to hold the carpet against the floor, they have been unsatisfactory in other respects. One of the more aggravating and common failures of present day devices is that the edge of the carpet may be relatively easily pulled free thereof, but replaced with considerable difiiculty. Thus, the carpet edge becomes mutilated and deformed and foreign matter is permitted to gather underneath the carpet, to the great inconvenience of passengers of the vehicle. With the present devices, even smaller children are capable and often apt to purposely pull the carpet edge free of whatever securing device is provided in the automobile, such as from under the sill plate at the door openings of the vehicle.

It is now proposed to provide a carpet assembly in which the carpet edge may be easily and conveniently secured under the sill plate or other member normally overlying the carpet edge and which may not be normally removed from underneath the sill plate by normal use or by design of those such as children not familiar with its mode of operation. In the proposed carpet assembly, the carpet may be easily removed from under the sill plate if so desired by a simple operation with a common tool such as a screw driver and without removing the sill plate. Also, once removed, the carpet edge may be easily replaced under the sill plate because the latter need not be constructed to bear on the carpet edge with considerable pressure as do present day sill plates.

The proposed carpet assembly includes a sill plate or molding having an inturned flange overlying the carpet edge and an unseen clip adapted to engage the edge of the carpet and to engage the inturned flange of the sill plate or molding by means of a tab provided thereon, thus preventing the unintended removal of the carpet.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet metal blank from which the clip shown by Figure 2 may be formed.

nited States Patent 0 F 2,779,048 Patented Jan. 29, 1957 Figure 2 is a perspective view of a clip embodying the invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a carpet assembly including a clip such as that shown by Figure 2. Figure 3 is taken along the plane of line 33 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, a clip 10 embodying the invention may be formed from the blank 12 by suitably bending the blank 12 to provide spaced arms 14 and 16, interlocking teeth 18 and 20 and upwardly and outwardly extending tabs 22.

Referring now to Figure 3, an assembly embodying the invention comprises a floor 24, a sill member 26 and a carpet, mat or other floor covering 28 having the edge 30 thereof adjacent the sill 26. The clip 10 is secured to the edge 30 of the carpet 28 by pressing the legs 14 and 16 of the clip together so that the teeth 18 and 20 may pierce the carpet for firm engagement therewith. A sill plate 32, which may be secured to the sill by any suitable means such as a spacer member 34 and a screw 36, is provided with an inwardly extending flange 38 overlying the edge 30 of the carpet 28 in a manner so that the tabs 22 may interlock with the flange 38 and thereby prevent the unintended pulling out of the carpet 28 from underneath the sill plate 32. It will be noted that the carpet may be easily removed from underneath the sill plate 32 by removing the sill plate or by freeing the tab 22 of the flange 33, as by pushing the carpet toward the sill 26 and depressing the tabs 22 by means such as a screw driver.

It may be seen from the above specification and drawings that there has been provided inexpensively produced and easily assembled means for positively preventing the loosening of a carpet or other floor covering along the edges thereof due to normal use, and except when it is desired to do so.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a floor having a sill, a floor covering on said floor having a free edge thereof adjacent said sill, a separate sill plate spaced from and overlying said sill and the adjacent edge of said floor covering, said sill plate being secured to said sill and having an inwardly disposed flange at the edge thereof overlying said floor covering, said flange being sufliciently removed from the point of attachment of said sill plate to said sill to permit the flexure thereof away from said floor and a clip preventing the removal of said floor covering from underneath said sill plate, said clip being formed to provide a bend having a pair of arms extending therefrom in the same direction, said arms having interlocking teeth at the free end thereof opposite said bend engaging said edge of said floor covering when said floor covering is inserted between said arms and said arms are pressed together against said floor covering, one of said arms being provided with outwardly extending tabs interlocking with the inwardly disposed flange of said sill plate when said floor covering is pushed under said sill plate or when said sill plate is applied over said floor covering edge.

2. The combination of a floor having a sill, a floor covering overlying said floor and having an edge adjacent said sill, a separate sill plate secured in spaced relation to said sill and extending both inwardly over said floor to overlie the edge of said floor covering, and outwardly be yond said carpet edge on a plane above the adjacent sur face of said carpet, the inwardly extending portion of said sill plate being sufficiently removed from the point of attachment of said sill plate to said sill to permit the flexure thereof away from said floor, and a clip engaging the edge of said floor covering, said clip having an upwardly extending shoulder in looking engagement with said sill plate and preventing the removal of said floor covering from under said sill plate.

3. The combination of a floor panel having a raised 3 sill at a door opening, a floor covering 011 said floor eX- fiange on said sill plate preventing the removal of said tending toward said sill, a separate sill plate spaced over floor covering edge from under said sill plate. said sill and having the inner edge thereof overlying said floor covering adjacent said sill, the edge of said sill plate References Citfid in the 515 of this P t overlying said floor covering havinga downwardly and inwardly formed flange thereon, said flange being capable of UNITED STATES PATENTS being flexed away from said floor, and a clip engaging the l9164 Wakefigld 1858 1,473,098 Hollenbeck et al Nov. 6, 1923 edge of said floor covering ad acent said Slll, said clip having a portion thereof in locking relation with said 1592923 Butterworth July 1926 2,166,553 Rennekarnp -luly 18, 1939 2,651,540 211110 Sept. 8, 1953

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