Device for use in the installation of flooring

An apparatus for facilitating the laying of floor boards on a subfloor includes a base member having an arrangement of subfloor engaging spikes provided on its bottom surface for anchoring the device during operation. A floor engaging member for engaging the floor board being laid is also provided. A handle and yoke assembly is pivotally mounted on the base member in order to operate the floor engaging member, and a transmitting arrangement is connected to the floor board engaging member for transmitting the pivoting movement of the handle and yoke assembly into sliding movement of the floor board engaging member. Additionally, the apparatus is provided with an arrangement that is connected to the base member for preventing the transmitting arrangement from being forced upwardly during operation of the apparatus.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention pertains to the installation of flooring and more 
particularly, relates to a device for facilitating the laying of floor 
boards. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The floor boards typically used in the laying and installation of wood or 
simulated wood flooring are provided with a tongue along one side edge and 
a groove along the opposite side edge so that the tongue of one floor 
board fits into the groove in the adjacent floor board. Preferably, the 
adjacent floor boards should be placed as close as possible to one another 
to avoid significant spaces and gaps between adjacent floor boards. The 
flooring installation process usually proceeds by placing a first board at 
the appropriate place and securing it in place by, for example, nailing it 
to the underlying subfloor or floor joists. The next board is then placed 
in close proximity to the previously laid board with the tongue of one 
floor board fitting into the groove on the adjacent floor board. Once in 
position, the new floor board is then nailed or secured in the appropriate 
manner to the underlying subfloor or floor joists. This process continues 
until the entire floor has been laid. 
During the floor installation process, it is not uncommon that the floor 
boards being laid are warped or bowed along their entire length or along a 
portion of their length. As can be readily appreciated, the warped or 
bowed nature of the floor boards makes it difficult to place adjacent 
boards in close abutting relation to one another. 
Typically, a rubber headed hammer is used to force the floor boards into 
abutting relation with respect to the previously laid floor board, or if 
the floor board being laid is the first floor board, into abutting 
relation with respect to the wall. As might be expected, however, the use 
of such a hammer presents certain difficulties. 
For example, pounding the floor boards into position to ensure that they 
are located as close as possible to one another can cause damage to the 
tongue and the groove that is formed on the side edges of the floor 
boards. Moreover, rubber headed hammers are not very effective in aiding 
the installation of floor boards that are warped or bowed. 
As an alternative to the use of rubber headed hammers, various devices have 
been proposed for use in the installation of floor boards on a subfloor or 
floor joists. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 
1,354,854; 3,779,515; 1,153,106; 2,588,401; 375,147; 775,092; 776,575; 
811,131; 174,838; 344,101; 1,568,885; 1,231,461; 953,596; 2,948,507; 
3,524,623; 940,695; and 559,052. However, none of these devices has gained 
widespread use in the industry. Moreover, the devices disclosed in these 
patent suffer from various disadvantages and drawbacks and are susceptible 
to improvements. 
For example, at least some of the devices disclosed in the aforementioned 
patents are designed in such a manner that the force exerted by the device 
is directed to a small area with respect to the entire length of the floor 
board. These devices are not well suited for applying a force along a 
substantial portion of the length of the floor board and thus, the ability 
of these devices to force warped or bowed floor boards into close abutting 
relation with respect to the previously laid floor board is significantly 
limited. 
Some of the devices disclosed in the aforementioned patents are also 
designed in such a manner that the force that is imparted to the floor 
board during use of the device is not substantially parallel to the plane 
of the flooring, but rather is directed at an angle relative thereto. The 
greater the angle at which the force is directed relative to the plane of 
the flooring, the smaller the magnitude of the horizontal component of the 
force applied by the device. Additionally, damage may result to the floor 
boards if the floor boards are pushed together at an angle rather than 
parallel to one another. 
Another problem that arises is that there is a tendency for some of the 
devices disclosed in the aforementioned patents to cause the floor board 
being laid to kick up out of the plane of the flooring. 
Additionally, some of the devices disclosed in the aforementioned patents 
are designed such that the portion of the device adapted to engage the 
floor board being laid is specifically configured to match the tongue that 
extends from one side edge of the board. If the floor board engaging 
portion of the device is not exactly aligned with the floor board, or if 
the floor board is displaced slightly or kicks up during use of the 
device, damage can result to the tongue on the floor board. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In light of the foregoing drawbacks and disadvantages associated with known 
devices for installing floor boards, it is a general object of the present 
invention to provide an improved device for facilitating the installation 
of floor boards that addresses and overcomes the foregoing disadvantages 
and drawbacks. 
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a device for 
facilitating the installation of flooring on a subfloor includes a base 
member having an arrangement provided on the bottom surface thereof for 
anchoring the base member on the subfloor during use, a hinge pad provided 
on the base member adjacent each end of the base member and a yoke member 
having a pivot lever extending from each end thereof. The yoke member has 
a handle extending therefrom and each pivot lever is pivotally mounted on 
one of the hinge pads to permit the yoke member and the handle to pivot 
about a pivot axis. A connecting member is pivotally connected to each of 
the pivot levers, and a guide pin mounting pad is provided on the base 
member. The guide pin mounting pad has a guide pin extending therefrom and 
a guide pin receiver pad is connected to one of the connecting members. 
The guide pin receiver pad has a guide slot formed therein and the guide 
pin extends through the guide slot to guide the movement of the connecting 
members. A guide assembly is also provided on the base member and the 
guide assembly includes a guide plate that overlies one of the connecting 
members to help prevent the connecting member from being forced upwardly 
during use. Further, a floor board engaging arrangement is connected to 
each of the connecting members for engaging a floor board being laid so 
that upon pivotal movement of the yoke member the connecting members slide 
in a horizontal direction and thereby cause the floor board engaging 
arrangement to slide in the same horizontal direction. 
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus 
for facilitating the laying of floor boards on a subfloor includes a base 
member, an arrangement disposed on the bottom surface of the base member 
for engaging the subfloor to anchor the apparatus during use, a floor 
board engaging device for engaging a floor board to be laid, an operating 
mechanism pivotally mounted on the base member for operating the floor 
board engaging device, a transmitting arrangement fixedly connected to the 
floor boar engaging device and pivotally connected to the operating 
mechanism for transmitting the pivotal motion of the operating mechanism 
into sliding movement of the floor board engaging device, and an 
arrangement connected to the base member for preventing the transmitting 
arrangement from being forced upwardly during operation of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 10 for facilitating 
the installation of floor boards according to the present invention 
includes a base member 12 having a front side 14 and a rear side 16. The 
base member 12 also includes a top surface 18 and an oppositely positioned 
bottom surface 20 (see FIG. 3). 
Extending from the rear side 16 of the base member 12 is a tail piece 22. 
The tail piece 22 may be integrally formed in one piece with the base 
member 12 or can be secured to the base member 12 in any suitable manner 
such as by, for example, welding. As can be seen in FIG. 1 and most 
clearly in FIG. 3, the free end of the tail piece 22 that is distal from 
the base member 12 is provided with a spike 24 that serves to anchor the 
entire device 10 and provide stability during use. Preferably, the point 
of the spike 24 points rearwardly away from the base member 12. 
Each end of the base member 12 is provided with a hinge pad 26. The hinge 
pads 26 can be formed integrally and in one piece with the remainder of 
the base member 12 or can be secured in any other appropriate manner to 
the base member such as by welding. Preferably, the hinge pads 26 extend 
upwardly from the top surface 18 of the base member 12. The hinge pads 26 
provide an arrangement for pivotally mounting a yoke assembly 28 and an 
attached handle 34. 
The yoke assembly 28 includes a yoke member 30 having a pivot lever 32 
extending from each end thereof. In the embodiment illustrated, the yoke 
member 30 is substantially U-shaped, although shapes other than that 
illustrated could be employed. The pivot levers 32 can be secured to the 
free ends of the U-shaped member by any suitable means such as welding. 
Alternatively, the yoke member 30 and the pivot levers 32 can be formed 
integrally in one piece. The pivot levers 32 are arranged substantially 
parallel to one another. 
The handle 34 is secured to the yoke member 30 in any suitable manner. For 
example, the yoke member 30 could be provided with a handle lug that 
extends outwardly away from the face of the yoke member 30. The handle 34 
could then be provided with a hollow portion into which fits the handle 
lug. Aligned holes could also be provided in the handle 34 and the handle 
lug so as to permit the handle to be secured to the handle lug. 
Alternatively, the handle 34 could be simply secured directly to the yoke 
member 30 in any suitable manner such as by welding. It can be seen from 
FIGS. 1 and 2 that the handle 34 is disposed generally perpendicular with 
respect to the surface 40 of the yoke member 30. 
As can be seen from the drawing figures, the free end 36 of the handle 34 
can be bent in the forward direction at a suitable angle to make the 
handle more ergonomically suitable and thereby facilitate the gripping and 
operation of the handle 34 during use. The extent to which the free end 
portion 36 of the handle 34 can be angularly oriented is variable. 
However, an angle of approximately 30 degrees is useful. The free end 36 
of the handle can also be provided with a suitable handle grip 38. 
Each of the pivot levers 32 is provided with a pin 42 that extends inwardly 
towards the opposite pivot lever 32. Preferably, the pins 42 are aligned 
with one another such that their longitudinal axes are substantially 
aligned and collinear. 
The pins 42 extending from each of the pivot levers 32 are positioned in 
through holes that extend through the hinge pads 26. In that way, the 
handle 34 and the yoke assembly 28 are pivotally mounted with respect to 
the base member 12. As can be seen from the various drawing figures, the 
pins 42 are preferably spaced from the free ends of the respective pivot 
levers 32. 
While the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing figures shows the 
pins 42 mounted on the pivot levers 32, it is to be understood that the 
hinge pads 26 could be provided with pins while the pivot levers 32 are 
provided with through hole for receiving the pins. 
Each of the pivot levers 32 is also pivotally connected to a pair of 
connecting arms 44 that are arranged parallel with respect to one another. 
Preferably, the two connecting arms 44 are secured on opposite sides of 
the respective pivot levers 32, thereby resulting in the connecting arms 
44 of each pair being spaced apart from one another. A pivot pin 
connection 46 is provided between each of the pivot levers 32 and its 
respective pair of connecting arms 44 to permit pivotal movement between 
the pivot levers 32 and the connecting arms 44. The pivot pin connection 
46 can consist of a pin which extends through aligned holes provided in 
the end of each pivot lever 32 and the respective connecting arms 44. As 
can be seen from the drawing figures, the pivot pin connection 46 that 
connects the pivot levers 32 to their respective connecting arms 44 is 
positioned closer to the free end of the respective pivot levers 32 than 
the pins 42 which connect the pivot levers 32 to their respective hinge 
pads 26. 
A floor board engaging assembly 48 is connected to the end of each of the 
connecting arms 44 located distal from the pivot pin connection 46. 
Preferably, the floor board engaging assembly 48 is fixedly connected to 
the ends of the connecting arms 44. For example, the mounting portions 50 
of the floor board engaging assembly 48 can be fixedly secured to their 
respective connecting arms 44 by way of plug welds. The connecting arms 44 
define a connecting and transmitting arrangement for connecting the pivot 
levers 32 to the floor board engaging assembly 48, and for transmitting 
pivoting movement of the yoke assembly 28 and the handle 34 to the floor 
board engaging assembly 48. 
The front portion of the floor board engaging assembly 48 is provided with 
a substantially V-shaped floor board engaging member 52. The floor board 
engaging member 52 is designed and configured to help prevent damage to 
the floor boards during the floor board laying process. When the floor 
board engaging member 52 is placed against the side edge of the floor 
board being laid, the legs of the V-shaped engaging member 52 contact the 
shoulders of the floor board (i.e., the top and bottom edges of the side 
of the floor board) so that the tongue extending from the side of the 
floor board fits into the area between the legs of the V-shaped floor 
board engaging member 52. In that way, the tongue extending from the side 
of the floor board does not become damaged as a result of contact with the 
floor board engaging member 52. 
To help guide the movement of the connecting arms 44 and the yoke assembly 
48 in the horizontal direction and to help prevent the connecting arms 44 
from kicking upwardly during use of the device a guide pin mounting pad 54 
is provided at one end of the base 12. The guide pin mounting pad 54 is 
fixedly mounted on the base 12 and can extend upwardly away from the top 
surface 18 of the base 12. Extending outwardly from one side of the guide 
pin mounting pad 54 is a guide pin 56. 
The guide pin 56 extends into a guide slot 60 formed in a guide pin 
receiver pad 58. The guide pin receiver pad 58 can be positioned between 
the two connecting arms 44 and can be secured to one or both of the 
connecting arms 44 in any suitable manner such as, for example, by 
welding. The guide slot 60 in the guide pin receiver pad 58 includes a 
portion 61 that extends generally horizontally and a portion 63 that 
curves slightly downwardly (i.e., in the direction of the base member 12). 
The slightly downwardly curved portion 63 is positioned such that the 
guide pin 56 is positioned in the slightly downwardly curved portion 63 
when the floor board engaging member 52 is in its forwardmost position. 
It can be readily seen, therefore, that during horizontal movement of the 
connecting arms 44 and the angle pad 48, the guide pin 56 moves along the 
length of the guide slot 60 formed in the guide pin receiver pad 58 to 
thereby guide the connecting arms 44 and the hinge pad 48 in a 
substantially horizontal direction. Once the floor board engaging member 
52 has reached its forwardmost position, the guide pin 56 is positioned in 
the slightly downwardly extending portion 63 of the guide slot to thereby 
"lock" the floor board engaging member 52 in that position. By "locking" 
the floor board engaging member 52 in that position, the user can nail the 
floor board being laid to the underlying subfloor or floor joists. 
To further facilitate guidance of the connecting arms 44 and the angle pad 
48, a guide assembly 62 is provided on the base member 12 at a position 
opposite the position of the guide pin mounting pad 54. The guide assembly 
62 includes a guide plate 64 that overlies both of the connecting arms 44. 
Of course, it is possible that the guide plate 64 can be positioned so as 
to overlie only one of the connecting arms 44 (i.e., the connecting arm 
closest to the base member 12). The guide assembly 62 further includes a 
guide extension 66 fixedly secured to the guide plate 64 and extending 
downwardly between the connecting arms 44. 
The guide assembly 62 serves to guide the movement of the connecting arms 
44 in the horizontal direction because the guide plate 64 prevents the 
connecting arms 44 from being forced upwardly during use. Also, the guide 
assembly 62 helps prevent the connecting arms 44 from moving side to side 
as a result of the positioning of the guide extension 66 between the 
connecting arms 44. 
As can be seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the base 
member 12 is provided with a plurality of spikes 70 for anchoring the base 
member 12, as well as the entire device 10, to the subfloor during use. It 
has been found that four spikes 70 angled toward the rear side 16 of the 
base member 12 provide sufficient anchorage for maintaining the base 
member in position during use. If too many spikes 70 are provided, it may 
be difficult to remove the base member 12 from the subfloor after 
installation of a floor board. On the other hand, if an insufficient 
number of spikes are provided, the base member 12 will not be sufficiently 
anchored during use and the ability of the device to facilitate the 
installation of floor boards, particularly warped or bowed floor boards, 
may be hindered. The use of four spikes angled rearwardly as shown in FIG. 
3 is believed to provide a good compromise between the foregoing 
considerations. 
The combination of the rearwardly angled spikes 70 on the bottom 16 of the 
base member 12 and the rearwardly angled spike 24 provided on the 
rearwardly extending tail piece 22 provides a flooring installation device 
that is quite stable and well anchored during use. As a result, it is 
unlikely that the base member 12 will become dislodged from the subfloor 
and forced upwardly during use. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the floor engaging member 52 is in its 
forwardmost position. To install a floor board, the handle 34 is pushed 
forwardly from the position illustrated in FIG. 1 (i.e., to the right as 
seen in FIG. 1), thereby causing the yoke assembly 28 to also pivot 
forwardly in the clockwise direction as seen from the side of the device 
illustrated in FIG. 1. The yoke assembly 28 and the handle 34 pivot about 
a pivot axis defined by the longitudinal axe of the pins 42. The floor 
engaging member 52 is then placed against a floor board that is to be laid 
such that the two legs of the V-shaped floor engaging member 52 contact 
the shoulders of the floor board. By stepping on the base member 12, the 
spikes 70 extending from the bottom surface 20 of the base member 12 and 
the spike 24 extending from the tail piece 22 ca be securely anchored in 
the subfloor. Thereafter, the handle 34 can be pulled rearwardly so as to 
cause the pivot lever 32 of the yoke assembly 28 to pivot in the 
counterclockwise direction as seen from the side of the device shown in 
FIG. 1. This movement of the yoke assembly 28 causes the connecting arms 
44 to slide forwardly in the horizontal direction thereby forcing the 
floor board being laid into close abutting relation with respect to the 
previously laid floor board, or if the floor board is the first floor 
board being laid, against the wall. 
Because of the arrangement of the various combination of parts in the 
device according to the present invention, substantially all of the 
pivoting movement of the handle 34 and the yoke assembly 28 is translated 
into horizontal sliding movement of the connecting arms 44 and the floor 
board engaging assembly 48. The device 10 according to the present 
invention provides a large mechanical advantage such that the user need 
apply relatively little force in pulling the handle rearwardly (i.e., 
toward the user) in order to produce a relatively large horizontal force 
that forces the floor board being laid into close abutting relation to the 
previously laid floor board, or the wall. 
The device 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present 
invention is also well suited for ensuring that the connecting arms 44 and 
the floor board engaging assembly 48 do not kick upwardly when a floor 
board is being forced into abutting relation with respect to the 
previously laid floor board or the wall. In particular, the guide assembly 
62 helps ensure that the connecting arms 44 are not forced upwardly as a 
result of the counteracting force applied thereto during installation of a 
floor board. Also, the guide extension 66 extending from the guide plate 
64 guides the connecting arms 44 in a substantially straight line of 
movement, thereby preventing the connecting arms 44 from skewing outwardly 
and being stressed. This can help reduce stress on the pivot connection 
46. The interaction between the guide pin 56 extending from the guide pin 
mounting pad 54 and the guide slot 60 formed in the guide pin receiver pad 
58 also contributes to ensuring that the connecting arms 44 and the floor 
board engaging assembly 48 move in a substantially horizontal plane of 
movement. 
The construction of the device 10 is also such that the connecting arms 44 
and the floor board engaging assembly 48 move in a plane of movement that 
is substantially the same as the plane of the flooring. This means that 
the force applied to the floor board being laid is substantially parallel 
to the plane of the previously laid floor boards which means that the 
floor boards will not become damaged as a result of the floor boards being 
brought together at an angle with respect to one another. Also, it is 
easier to bring the floor board being laid into close abutting relation 
with respect to the previously laid floor board. 
The device 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present 
invention is also useful in the laying of floor boards that are warped or 
bowed along portion of their length or their entire length. The connecting 
arms 44 are connected, by way of the mounting members 50, to the floor 
board engaging member 52 at points adjacent the ends of the floor board 
engaging member 52. Thus, the force that is applied to the floor engaging 
member 52 by way of the connecting arms 44 is distributed over the length 
of the floor engaging member 52. Consequently, if the floor board being 
laid is warped or bowed, the floor board engaging member 52 is able to 
apply a force to the floor board that is distributed along the length of 
the floor board or a substantial portion of the length of the floor board 
in such a manner as to counteract the warped or bowed nature of the floor 
board and thereby bring the floor board into close abutting relation with 
respect to the previously laid floor boards. The significant mechanical 
advantage provided by the device 10 according to the present invention 
also contributes to the device's ability to achieve this objective. 
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present 
invention have been described in the foregoing specification. The 
invention which is intended to be protected herein should not, however, be 
construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed, as these are to be 
regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes 
may be made by those skilled in the art and equivalents employed without 
departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the 
foregoing detailed description should be considered illustrative in nature 
and not limited to the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in 
the appended claims.