Patent ID: 7159850
Filing Date: 2007-01-09
Classification: A47G

Abstract:
1. A carpet stretcher comprising: a pneumatic actuator, a piston rod extending from said actuator in a stroke direction from said actuator for extension in said stroke direction upon actuation of said actuator, a stretcher bead mounted to a distal end of said piston rod, distal from said actuator, said stretcher bead having carpet engaging teeth protruding downwardly from said head and adapted to engage carpet when said bead is brought into engagement with the carpet and said head is translated in said stroke direction as said piston rod is extended, a gripping bar supporting frame pivotally mounted to said actuator at a rearward end of said frame for pivotal motion of said frame relative to said actuator, a gripping bar mounted to an opposite forward end of said frame, opposite said rearward end, said gripping bar sized to releasably mount between a tackless strip mounted to a floor and a wall adjacent the tackless strip and so as to engage the tackless strip, said head translating towards said gripping bar as said piston rod is extended from said actuator upon said actuation of said actuator, said pivotal motion raising or lowering said forward end of said frame relative to said actuator, wherein said actuator is adapted for use as a handle to be held during use of said carpet stretcher by a user, a resilient biasing means mounted to said frame and to said actuator for resiliently biasing said frame so as to lower said forward end during said pivotal motion, and so that raising said forward end during said pivotal motion is against a return biasing force of said resilient biasing means, and wherein said return biasing force is sufficient to raise said actuator, said piston rod and said head relative to said gripping bar upon release of said actuator by the user so as to raise and disengage said head from the carpet when said gripping bar is in said engagement with the tackless strip and said carpet stretcher is being used to stretch a carpet to engage an edge of the carpet onto the tackless strip, and wherein a trigger for actuating said actuator is mounted adjacent said actuator for one-handed application both of a downward force by the user on said actuator when holding said actuator so as to overcome said resilient biasing force and thereby to engage said head with the carpet, and simultaneous operation of said trigger to actuate said actuator to thereby drive said head and the carpet engaged by said head towards said gripping bar and the tackless strip.