Abstract:
A device worn upon a carpet installer&#39;s lower leg, provides an impact hammer for installation tools, including carpet stretching devices, the device protecting the knee of the installer during use and also optimizing the amount of horizontal impact which can be delivered to the installation tools. The device may be adjusted to fit the lower leg of a variety of installers and the device also provides an adjustable weight suited to the comfort and needs of the particular carpet installer. The device, having a smooth lower surface, is also provided to assist in the seaming process of carpet installation, providing a smooth, flat vertical force required for proper flooring seam adherence.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This is a Continuation-in-Part Application of application Ser. No. 11/025,526 filed by the same Inventor on Dec. 30, 2004 now abandoned. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of Invention 
   A device worn upon a carpet installer&#39;s lower leg, provides an impact hammer for installation tools, including carpet stretching devices, the device protecting the knee of the installer during use and also optimizing the amount of horizontal impact which can be delivered to the installation tools. The device may be adjusted to fit the lower leg of a variety of installers and the device also provides an adjustable weight suited to the comfort and needs of the particular carpet installer. The device, having a smooth lower surface, is also provided to assist in the seaming process of carpet installation, providing a smooth, flat vertical force required for proper flooring seam adherence. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to devices worn on the lower leg of a laborer. 
   A first group of prior art patent address concrete laborers and knee float devices worn on the leg of the concrete laborer to allow the laborer to trowel concrete with a hand trowel while in a kneeling position, with the knee float devices worn to prevent disruption of the finished concrete surface from the knees and toes of the user. A first patent within the concrete float device category is U.S. Pat. No. 2,627,301 to Emmett, which discloses a lower flat float, a knee pad which provides knee protection in a vertical plane, a padded shin support with a strap to connect the device to the knee and calf of the carpet finisher, and an elevated toe holder. A second patent within this category is U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,784 to Hammond, which also discloses knee support apparatus having a lower flat float, a front knee stop, a quantity of cushion material along the entire upper surface of the lower flat float in contact with the leg of the concrete finisher, and an adjustable soft roller between two upright supports provided for the concrete finisher&#39;s foot to rest against while using the float, the apparatus sliding forward and backward by the user&#39;s leg without leaving an impression in the finished concrete surface. Other prior art patents in this category include U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,404 to Iskra, D255281 to Breitenstine, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,470 to Fernandez. None of these categorically related devices provide a forward impact area for use as a horizontally deployed hammer attached to a leg of a laborer for the delivery of a horizontal impact to a knee actuated carpet installation device, nor do they define a device which protects the front portion of the knee from a horizontal forces, nor do they define the same or similar elements as the present knee hammer. 
   A second category of device actually do relate to the installation of carpet or flooring. In a first U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,198 to Brock, a seam skate for carpets is disclosed, providing a knee board for being pushed along a carpet seam of a carpet behind a hot melt seaming iron, the lower surface of the board being flat with beveled edges to slide along a carpet surface, and an upper surface providing an upstanding padded block to support the foreleg and an upward extending cup fitted with a thick pad extending down the inner surface of the cup and across a portion of the upper surface to protect and support the knee, as indicated in  FIG. 2  of that patent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,055 to McElroy provides a knee pad which is strapped onto the knee for vertical support of the knee while kneeling. It also discloses an air cushion as the cushioning material. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,774 to Legenstein, a rolling knee pad is disclosed, strapped on and worn by a laborer when installing rolled flooring materials and U.S. Pat. No. 2,484,494 to Ferguson discloses a lower leg support, strapped to an entire foreleg, having wheels. None of these disclosed patents are intended for, nor supplied with components for use as a horizontal knee hammer for knee actuated impact tools for carpet installation. 
   A third category discloses a single U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,691 to Wiegers, which is a knee pad, strapped onto the knee of a laborer, with an adjustable strap also attaching the knee pad to a belt, the knee pad having a frontal contact surface which engages the kicking pad of a carpet stretcher during the installation of carpets. This device actually provides and discloses a use similar to the carpet installer&#39;s knee hammer of the present invention, except for the obvious lack of other significant elements disclosed in the present knee hammer to distribute the horizontal impact forces incurred by the device over repeated uses as a hammer over the entire leg. Wiegers does not disclose the flat contact surface with the carpet, does not provide for a contoured foreleg and foot support features and does not provide an inner cavity within the device containing additional weight to enhance the mass force of the knee hammer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Carpet and flooring installation is a task which creates a great deal of stress on the lower body. An installer generally performs a majority of the installation task on his knees, as the installation occurs on the floor. During the installation of carpet, the floor surface is prepared, the carpet is measured and pre-cut to size, seams are matched, a pad and a perimeter tack strip is installed or an adhesive is spread to retain the carpet, and then the permanent installation is finally conducted. During this final installation, especially where a pad and tack strip is used, the carpet may be seamed, requiring two sections of carpet to be attached together by tape, heated glue, or heated tape, and then the outer edges of the carpet must be stretched to smooth the carpet surface and ensure the carpet is tight in all directions. 
   For seaming, vertical pressure must be applied to the seam for optimal seam adherence, the adhesive either being heat activated tape or an applied adhesive. Most commonly, a hot seaming iron is used to create the heat required to liquify the applied adhesive or adhesive on the tape, allowing the adhesives to melt into the lower surface of the carpet and adhere the two joined pieces of carpet at the seam when the adhesive cools and resolidifies. 
   For stretching and installation of the carpet to the tack strip, the carpet is stretch along the outer perimeter segment by segment using a carpet stretcher, commonly used in the industry. A carpet stretcher generally provides a kicking pad on a first end of an elongated shaft and a flat carpet contact end on the other end of the shaft, the contact end having lower surface defining a plurality of small sharp teeth that engage or “bite into” a portion of the outer edge of the carpet without damage to the carpet. The contact end engages the carpet edge, and the kicking pad is kicked by the installer to provide a temporary horizontal force to stretch that portion of the carpet as the lower surface of the carpet is attached to the tack strip or adhesive. The application of horizontal force is contemporaneous with the downward placement of the outer segment of the carpet. This is repeated numerous times during the installation until the entire outer perimeter of the carpet is tightly installed. 
   Thus, a device which minimized the impact to the knee and leg of the installer while maximizing the amount of horizontal force being applied to the carpet stretch would be greatly understood and appreciated by flooring installers and laborers. It is therefore an objective of the present knee hammer to provide the hammer with a forward contact surface to apply a horizontal force to a carpet stretcher which reduces the amount of impact force to the knee of the installer and distributes the impact forces to the entire lower leg. Another objective is to provide the device to be applied to the lower leg without straps, for quick and easy attachment to the lower leg of the installer when required. Another objective is to provide the device with an accessible cavity wherein additional weight may be added to increase the vertical mass forces of the knee hammer for seaming purposes and the horizontal mass forces of the knee hammer for use with the carpet stretcher or other knee actuated tool. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application. 
       FIG. 1  is an upper front perspective view of the assembled knee hammer. 
       FIG. 2  is an upper rear perspective view of the assembled knee hammer. 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the foot stirrup along section lines  3 / 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the assembled knee hammer, with phantom lines indicating the position of the installer&#39;s leg during use. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the assembled knee hammer with phantom lines representing at least one encapsulated weight within the inner cavity of the foreleg segment. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded upper perspective view of the knee hammer, with broken lines representing the line of assembly and phantom lines representing at least one encapsulated weight upon the detachable lower closure plate. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A knee hammer  10 , worn by carpet installers for application to knee activated procedures, tasks and tools associated with carpet installation, shown in  FIGS. 1-6  of the drawings, the knee hammer  10  comprising a knee segment  20  defining a smooth flat lower surface  21  having a beveled front edge  22 , and an upper surface  23  having an outer front impact surface  24 , a contoured inner forward knee section  25  defining an inner front impact surface  26  and a lower knee depression  27 , two raised side margins  28  and a rear depression  29 , a foreleg segment  40  including a lower surface opening  41 , side sections  42 , a detachable lower closure plate  60  having elevated side margins  62  attaching within the lower surface opening  41 , an upper ramped portion  43  having a lateral concave surface  44 , the lower surface opening  41 , side sections  42 , lower closure plate  60  and upper ramp portions  43  defining an inner cavity  45 , a contoured ankle support  46  and a foot stirrup  47  defining a toe aperture  48  and a toe cup  49 , the lower surface opening  41  of the foreleg segment  40  fitted within the rear depression  29  of the knee segment  20  at a distance between the inner forward knee section  25  and the foot stirrup  47  as desired by the installer, attaching the two raised side margins  28  of the knee segment  20  to the side sections  42  of the foreleg segment  40  by a plurality of pan head screws  90 , and a densely padded knee cup  80  defining a front impact portion  82  and a lower vertical pressure portion  84 , located within the inner forward knee section  25  subsequent to the attachment of the knee segment  20  and the foreleg segments  40 , the knee cup  80  protecting a knee b from downward pressure as the knee b rests upon the lower vertical pressure portion  84  and the front impact portion  82  of the knee cup  80  protecting the knee b from forward impact forces generated by the installer when wearing and using the knee hammer  10  to horizontally kick drive a knee actuated carpet stretcher in a sliding horizontal manner without damage to his knee b while also to providing an applied downward force to a carpet seam when the flat lower surface  21  of the knee hammer  10  is slid over and upon a freshly joined carpet seam during installation. 
   The knee hammer  10  is applied to the installer&#39;s lower leg a by placing the knee hammer  10  on the flooring surface, placing a knee b upon the knee cup  80 , positioning a shin c on the upper ramped portion  43  and placing a top of a foot d over the ankle support  46  while a toe tip e is placed within the foot stirrup  47 .  FIGS. 4-5 . When the installer desires to anchor the position of the knee hammer  10 , the toe tip e of the installer is placed through the toe aperture  48 , making contact through the toe aperture  48  with the floor,  FIG. 4  indicating the installers toe tip e through the toe aperture  48 . If the installer chooses to slide the device over the carpet being installed during application a horizontal striking force to a carpet stretcher when attaching the carpet edges to a tack strip or adhesive, the installer&#39;s toe tip e is placed within the toe cup  49 ,  FIG. 5 , and the knee hammer  10  is slid in a horizontal direction using a kicking motion to provide the horizontal impact, already used in the carpet installation industry without knee protection of any sort. 
   The knee hammer is also used when seaming carpet in the same manner, by placing the knee b upon the knee cup  80  and the toe tip e within the toe cup  49  as the smooth flat lower surface  21  of the knee hammer  10  slid over the freshly attached seam, the downward force of the installer upon the knee hammer  10  applying an even vertical force to enhance bonding and adhesion of the seam, whether carpet or other rolled and seamed flooring. 
   The knee hammer  10  may be provided with additional mass by placement of at least one encapsulated weight  70  within the cavity,  FIGS. 5-6 , increasing the driving mass of the knee hammer  10 . The encapsulated weight  70  would best be provided by bags of sand or bags of weighted pellets. In this embodiment, the foreleg segment  40  would be detached from the knee segment  20  and the lower closure plate  60  detached, allowing access to the inner cavity  45  for the addition or subtraction of the encapsulated weight  70  from the knee hammer  10 , as desired by the installer. In another embodiment, not shown, the lower closure plate may be permanently attached and a lower closure plate plug or cap would be fitted within the lower closure plate to allow the addition or subtraction of encapsulated weight from the knee hammer. 
   The knee cup  80  would be best provided as a dense foam rubber or gel foam product, with the front impact portion  82  being provided along the entire inner forward knee section  25 , over the entire lower knee depression  27 , with the lower vertical pressure portion  84  partially over the upper ramped portion  43 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-2  and  4 - 5 , to protect the knee b of the installer as well as the soft tissues, tendons and ligaments in the knee from horizontal impact forces and vertical pressure forces encountered during use. 
   In the embodiment portrayed in  FIG. 6 , the raised side margins  28  of the knee segment  20  and the side sections  42  of the foreleg segment  40  would be provided with a respective plurality of threaded spaced holes  30 ,  50 , the spaced holes  30 ,  50  of each respective segment contemporaneously aligning at least three matched pairs of spaced holes  30 ,  50  and placing one pan head screw  90  having an outer thread  92  in each set of aligned spaced holes  30 ,  50 , to secure the knee segment  20  and foreleg segment  40  together in a chosen length and position.  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4  and  5 . The pan head screws  90  may also extend a distance long enough to also engage the elevated side margins  62  of the lower closure plate  60  to the side sections  42  of the foreleg segment  40 , completely enclosing the inner cavity  45  and securing the lower closure plate  60  within the lower surface opening  41 , as indicated in  FIGS. 5-6 . 
   The knee hammer  10  should be made from molded impact resistant plastic, light metals including aluminum, or other metal or synthetic materials which would hold form, be durable enough to withstand thousands of impacts with knee actuated carpet installation tools, and sturdy enough to maintain its shape over repeated uses. It would also be adjustable in length to the extend that the average person of a normal height range can adjust the knee hammer  10  to a variety of lengths without modification of the manufactured knee hammer, by providing numerous spaced holes  30 ,  50  in either the knee segment  20 , the foreleg segment  40  or both. 
   The knee hammer  10  may be worn as a single device to only one leg chosen by the installer and used for kicking, or two knee hammers  10  may be worn upon each leg as a means to provide smooth even pressure upon carpet which has been entirely glued to a surface, to assist in applying a smooth, even, and identical vertical force over a much more broad area of the glued carpet than a knee, being a preferred alternative to a weighted roller, often used in commercial carpet installation. 
   While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.