Abstract:
A method and apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings. The preferred form of the apparatus includes a marking device having a body member. The body member includes a channel for receiving a guide member. The apparatus further includes a guide member to guide movement of the marking device along a predetermined path. The guide member is flexible so that it can be positioned on floor coverings in various configurations. The marking device includes a marking implement to mark floor coverings as the marking device is moved along the guide member. The preferred method is performed on site, i.e. at the site of the installation. Further, the preferred method is such that it can be performed relatively expeditiously and with great precision. Moreover, the preferred method can be performed with great accuracy without the need for a highly trained artisan.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the field of floor coverings including but not limited to carpet, vinyl tile and linoleum floor coverings. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for forming predetermined patterns in floor coverings. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It has become desirable in the field of floor coverings and in particular in office buildings and hospitals for interior designers and architects to design floors which are compatible with the design theme of the furniture, floor plan and wall covering layout selected by the designer. In order to create an appropriate floor design, it has become necessary to use different colors and/or patterns of floor covering material (e.g. carpet, vinyl tile or linoleum floor covering material). This is accomplished by cutting out desired shapes of one color and/or pattern of floor covering material and inserting corresponding shapes of another color and/or pattern of floor covering material. Before now, this process was accomplished in one of two manners. The first was to use expensive machinery connected to an autocad system to cut precise shapes of a first floor covering material and bond in new shapes of a second floor covering material. This machinery is located off-site, i.e. at a site other than the site of installation. Hence, there is significant delays and additional expense in shipping the desired floor covering materials to the off-site location to have the floor covering materials cut to the specifications of the designer or architect. Obviously, this process is disadvantageous because of its expense and the fact that it prolongs the time necessary to complete the installation. The second manner is to attempt to cut the material out by hand. This is extremely difficult and time consuming. Further, this process generally creates a sloppy looking finished product even when performed by a highly skilled artisan. A template may be used in this process. However, the template is pre-configured and, therefore, can only cut one specific pattern. Hence, there exists a significant need for a method and apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings which overcome the substantial and numerous inherent disadvantages of the prior art. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide novel and unobvious method and apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings. 
     Another object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide a method for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings which can be performed relatively expeditiously and with great precision. 
     A further object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings which can be operated relatively expeditiously and with great precision. 
     Still a further object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide a method of forming decorative patterns in floor coverings that can be performed on site, i.e. at the site of installation. 
     Yet still a further object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings that can be used on site, i.e. at the site of installation. 
     Yet another object of a preferred form of the present invention is to provide a method for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings which can be performed in considerably less time and at less expense than previously known methods. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings which performs with the precision of off-site machinery at a fraction of the cost. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent upon review of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. These objects of the present invention are not exhaustive and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention. 
     In summary, a preferred form of the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for forming decorative patterns in floor coverings. The preferred form of the apparatus includes a marking device having a body member. The body member includes a channel for receiving a guide member. The apparatus further includes a guide member to guide movement of the marking device along a predetermined path. The guide member is flexible so that it can be positioned on floor coverings in various configurations. The marking device includes a marking implement to mark floor coverings as the marking device is moved along the guide member. The preferred method is performed on site, i.e. at the site of the installation. Further, the preferred method is such that it can be performed relatively expeditiously and with great precision. Moreover, the method can be performed with great accuracy without the need for a highly trained artisan. The foregoing summary describes a preferred form and is not in any way to be construed as limiting the claimed invention to the preferred form. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention depicted in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention depicted FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3A is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a second alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of a finished floor covering installed in accordance with the preferred method of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of two adjacent pieces of floor coverings being welded together. 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative form of a finished floor covering installed in accordance with th preferred method of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of a further alternative form of a finished floor covering installed in accordance with the preferred method of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The preferred apparatus of the present invention will now be described with reference made to FIGS. 1 to  3 . 
     FIGS.  1  THROUGH  3   
     Referring to FIG. 1, a marking device A includes a body B having a central roller carriage C, a left roller carriage D, a right roller carriage E, a support arm F and a handle G. The handle G is provided to permit an individual to readily push or pull the marking device A along the floor covering. It will be readily appreciated that the handle G could be provided with a conventional handle grip or could be omitted entirely. Further, the handle could be replaced with a support arm for attaching various auxiliary elements, for example, a router. The central roller carriage C includes a support plate  2  having left and right side walls  4  and  6 , as best seen in FIG.  2 . Support legs  8 ,  10 ,  12  and  14  extend downwardly from the four corners of the support plate  2 , as seen in FIGS. 1 to  3 . Support legs  8  and  10  are positioned opposite from each other and support roller guide  16  on shaft  18  of bolt  20 . Roller guide  16  is free to rotate relative to shaft  18  of bolt  20 . Bolt  20  passes through openings formed in support legs  8  and  10  and is secured thereto via nut  22 . Support legs  12  and  14  are positioned opposite from each other and support roller guide  24  on shaft  26  of bolt  28 , as seen in FIG.  2 . Roller guide  24  is free to rotate relative to shaft  26  of bolt  28 . Bolt  28  passes through openings formed in support legs  12  and  14  and handle G and is secured to these elements via nut  30 . It should be noted that the roller guides  16  and  24  may be suspended from the corresponding support legs in various different manners. 
     Guide rollers  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  are suspended from support plate  2  via bolts  40 ,  42 ,  44  and  46 , respectively. The rollers  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  are all free to rotate on the shafts of the corresponding bolts. The bolts  40 ,  42 ,  44  and  46  are secured to the support plate  2  via conventional nuts. The roller guides  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  extend substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to roller guides  16  and  24 . Roller guides  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  may be suspended from support plate  2  in various different ways. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a bore is formed in the head of bolt  42  for receiving a marking implement  48 . A screw  50  holds the marking implement  48  in the desired position and permits adjustment as well as replacement thereof. The marking implement  48  can either be a scoring tool or a cutting tool. As used herein a cutting tool is a tool that cuts substantially completely through the thickness of the floor covering. More specifically, after a cutting tool has cut a closed section (e.g. a circular inner section) of floor covering, this closed section can be removed from the remaining section of floor without additional cutting. As used herein a scoring tool is any implement which marks but does not cut through substantially completely the thickness of the floor covering. Examples of scoring tools are: (1) a tool which forms a mark on the top surface of a floor covering via a pencil or other writing implement; (2) a tool which forms a depression such as a valley or groove in the top surface of a floor covering; (3) or a tool which forms a scratch in the top surface of a floor covering. 
     Central carriage C has a channel  52  for receiving a guide member H. Preferably, the guide member H is a flexible hosing which can be readily placed on floor coverings in linear and non-linear configurations. However, it will be readily appreciated that the guide member could be a rigid member pre-shaped to the desired configuration. Roller guides  16  and  24  engage the top of the guide member H while roller guides  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  engage the sides thereof. In this manner, the marking device A can be readily advanced along the guide member H to mark the floor covering in the desired manner. 
     Support arm F is secured to the support plate  2  and extends outwardly from the left side wall  4  and the right side wall  6 . The support arm F could be secured to the support plate  2  in various different manners including but not limited to by welding or by conventional fasteners. Additionally, the support arm F could be formed as one-piece with the support plate  2 . Left carriage D and right carriage E are suspended from support arm F via bolts  54  and  56 , respectively and are secured thereto with conventional nuts. Left carriage D includes a support plate  58  and support legs  60  and  62  extending downwardly therefrom. A bolt  64  passes through openings in support legs  60  and  62  to support advancement roller  66  on shaft  68 . Bolt  64  is secured to the support legs via a nut  70 . Advancement roller  66  is free to rotate on shaft  68 . Right roller carriage E includes a support plate  72  and support legs  74  and  76  extending downwardly therefrom. A bolt  78  passes through openings in support legs  74  and  76  to support advancement roller  80  on shaft  82 . Bolt  78  is secured to the support legs via a nut  84 . Advancement roller  80  is free to rotate on shaft  82 . 
     FIG.  3 A 
     Referring to FIG. 3A, an alternative marking device  65  is depicted. The marking device  65  is exactly the same as the marking device A with the exceptions that the support arm F′ is extended and provided with a slot  67  so that the position of left roller carriage  69  is adjustable. The left roller carriage  69  is provide with a marking implement  71  similar to marking implement  48 . In this manner, a strip of floor covering having a width equal to the distance between the marking implement  48  and the marking implement  71  can be readily marked and cut for removal. Further, the width of this strip can be readily adjusted by adjusting the position of the left roller carriage  69 . 
     FIG.  4   
     Referring to FIG. 4, a further alternative marking device I is depicted. The marking device I is exactly the same as the marking device A with the sole exception that the marking tool  86  is a cutting tool that cuts substantially completely through the floor covering J. 
     Screw  87  holds the cutting tool  86  in the desired position and permits adjustment as well as replacement thereof. 
     PREFERRED METHOD OF OPERATION 
     The preferred method of operation will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 8. Referring to FIG. 5, the guide member H is positioned on top of floor covering J′ in a serpentine fashion to form curve  88 . Using the handle G, the marking device A is then positioned on the guide member H and advanced the length thereof to mark the floor covering J′ in a configuration corresponding to curve  88 . Subsequently, the guide member H is positioned in a serpentine fashion to form curve  90 . The marking device A is then positioned on the guide member H and advanced along the floor covering J′ to form a mark corresponding to the curve  90 . Since the marking tool of the marking device A does not cut completely through the floor covering J′, an individual takes a conventional tool for cutting floor coverings and cuts along the marks formed by the marking device A. The cut sections are then removed and replaced with the desired different floor coverings J″ and J′″. The floor coverings may differ in various manners including but not limited to color or pattern. Preferably, a Leister welder model no. CH-6056 is used to heat weld adjacent floor coverings in a conventional manner, as depicted in FIG.  6 . This heat welding process forms a decorative border between adjacent sections of floor coverings. Welding rods of different colors can be used to form a pin stripe appearance. 
     It should be noted that when a cutting tool is used, it is not necessary to have an individual go over the markings with a conventional cutting tool. It should also be noted that a rigid preformed guide member in connection with the marking device may be used to form the desired markings on the floor covering. FIGS. 7 and 8 depict finished floor coverings K and L, respectively with two of numerous different possible designs. Another possible design could be a half hitch formation in the center of the flooring with one strand of the half hitch a first color and the second strand a second color. The surrounding flooring of the first strand would be the second color while the surrounding flooring of the second strand would be the first color. 
     ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF OPERATION 
     As opposed to placing the guide member H directly on a floor covering, it could alternatively be placed on an intermediate element, for example, paper. In this alternative process, the marking implement of the marking device A would preferably be a perforation wheel. As the marking device is moved along the guide member H, perforations are formed in the paper or other intermediate element. The perforated paper is then placed on the object to be marked, for example the back of very thick carpeting which can not be cut with ease. Then powdered marking chalk is sprinkled on the paper so that the back of the carpeting is marked with the powdered marking chalk along the perforations of the paper. Subsequently, the carpet is cut along the marks formed by the marking chalk on the back of the paper to cut the carpet in the desired pattern. 
     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, uses and/or adaptions of the invention following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the present invention pertains and as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention and the limits of the appended claims.