AN IMPROVED COMBINED TACK DRIVER AND CARPET STRETCHER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED TACK DRIVER AND CARPET STRETCHER."-A communication from
abroad by Thomas Jebb, of Buffalo, New York, United States of
America.
Sealed the 16th July 1867, and dated the 24th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
January 1867.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED COMBINED TACK DRIVER AND CARPET STRETCHER," a communication, to
be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to the construction of an apparatus which
combines the functions of a carpet stretcher and tack driver, either of which

page_text: functions may be performed separately or both conjointly. The operating
parts of the said apparatus are supported upon a frame which is made in two
parts, each part being cast separately, and both being connected together by
means of screws; a vertical column is cast on one of these parts, which
column has a horizontal projection; a hole is made in this projection through
which a punch or driver works. The said driver is provided at its upper
end with a head, upon which the force required in driving the tacks is
applied; the lower end of the said driver is beveled. Two dies rest loosely
one in each part of the frame, a recess being made therein for that purpose;
these dies when touching each other form a receptacle for one tack.
A taper
aperture is made vertically through the said feceptacle, one-half of the said
aperture being formed in each of the said dies. The bottom of the said taper
aperture is just large enough to permit the point of a tack to pass through
and project slightly below the same, and the driver rests upon the head of
the said tack. The dies, as before stated, rest loosely within the recesses
formed in the two parts of the frame, so that when power is applied to the
driver the beve led point thereof will force the dies apart, and allow both the
tack and driver to pass through the aperture which is thus enlarged. When
the driver is withdrawn or raised the dies will close and again diminish the
said aperture for the reception of another tack; this return movement or
closing of the dies is effected by means of two armed springs, one of which
presses against the back of each die. By this arrangement the said dies are
kept close together until the driver in its
springs are secured to the frame by screws.
vided with an extended portion, and when
united the said extended portions form an
end of which rests upon a handle attached to the said portion of the frame
at right angles or nearly so. The said track or guide inclines downwards to
the main portion of the frame which supports the driver and dies in such
manner that the tacks guided down the incline will enter the aperture formed
in the two dies. An open box is provided for the reception of the tacks to be
driven; this open box is inclined towards the track or guide, and is con-
nected thereto by means of a spreading plate. The tacks are first thrown
into the box, and may be made to roll over the spreading plate into the
track by 1 slight shaking of the frame or box. The inside edges of the track
formed by the two parts or sides of the fräine are bevelled and made perfectly
smooth, so that the tacks as they fall thereon will turn head-up, leaving the
point banging down between the said two parts; the tacks will then slide
down the inclined track until they arrive one by one upon a horizontal
descent forces then apart; the
Each part of the frame is pro-
the two parts, of the frame are
inclined track or guide, the rear

page_text: shoulder formed in the main portion of the frame. The tacks are passed in
suugly under the driver when the same is raiseil, and are dropped into the
aperture below by means of a wedge lever. This lever is binged to the top of
the frame, and its lower end is curved to form two horizontal wedges which
are beveled on the side adjacent to the driver. A cross head is attached to
the driver, the said cross head having a forked arm projecting horizontally
therefrom. The end or fork of this arm encloses or clasps the wedge lever,
and slides up and down thereon when the driver is raised and lowered. The
said cross head is provided with lugs or feet which slide upon parallel guides
formed on the upright column. By this means the driver is prevented from
turning and the forked arm kept in contact with the said wedge lever. The
carpet stretcher has four sharp prongs, and is connected to the bottom of the
frame which carries the driver by means of a shank or boss. The said shank
is fitted between the two parts of the said frame, and is firmly secured thereto
by a screw. The space between the two middle prongs of the stretcher is
made larger than that between the others to allow sufficient room for the tack
and driver to pass through between the said prongs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George Haseltine,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED TACK DRIVER AND CARPET STRETCHER," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings forming a part of
this Specification:-
The nature of the said Invention relates to the construction of an apparatus
which combines the functions of a carpet stretcher and tack driver, either of
which functions may be used separately or both conjointly.
Figure 1 is a plan of the top of my improved apparatus; Figure 2 is a side
elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section, and
Figure 4 a transverse vertical section of the said apparatus; Figure 5 is a
horizontal section on the line a, x, Figure 3; Figure 6 is a horizontal section
on the line y, y, Figure 4. Like letters indicate the same parts in each of
the Figures.
A, A', is the frame upon which all the operating parts of the said apparatus
are supported; this frame is made in two parts, each part being cast
separately and both being connected together by means of the screws a², a³, a*.
A vertical column B is cast on one of these parts A, which column has a
horizontal projection 61; a hole is made in this projection through which a
punch or driver C works; the said driver is provided on its upper end with
a head C', to which the force required in driving the tacks is applied. The
lower end of the driver is bevelled for the purpose herein-after described.
D, D', are two dies which rest loosely one in each part of the frame A, A¹, a
recess being made therein for that purpose; these dies when touching
each other form a receptacle for one tack. A taper aperture or hopper is
made vertically through such receptacle, one-half of the said aperture being
formed in the die D and the other half in the die D¹. The opening &² in the
bottom of the hopper is just large enough to permit the point of a tack to
pass through and project slightly below the same, and the driver C rests upon
the head of the said tack, as shown in Figure 3. The dies, as before stated,
rest loosely within the recesses formed in the two parts of the frame, so that
when power is applied to the driver C the bevelled point of the same will
force the dies apart and allow both the tack and driver C to pass through the

page_text: aperture d thus enlarged. When the driver is withdrawn or raised the
dies D, D¹, will close and again diminish the opening for the reception of
another tack. This return movement or closing of the dies is effected by
means of the two armed springs E, E', one of which presses against the back
of each die. By this arrangement the said dies are always maintained in the
position shown in Figure 4 until the driver in its descent forces them apart.
These springs are secured to the frame by the screws c, as shown in Figures 2
and 4.
to the driver
Having described the manner of driving the tacks through the dies I will
now proceed to describe the manner in which the tacks are fed
and discharged one by one into the hopper formel in the dies. Each part of
the frame is provided with an extended portion, and when the two parts of
the said frame are united these extended portions form an enclined track or
guidé, the rear end of which rests upon the handle F attached to the said
portion of the frame at right angles or nearly so. The track or guide inclines
downwards to the main frame which supports the driver and dies in such a
manner that the tacks guided down the incline will enter the aperture formed
in the dies, as represented in Figure 3. G is an open box for the reception
of the tacks to be driven; this open box is inclined towards the track or
guide formed by the frame, and is connected thereto by means of the spread-
ing plate g'. The tacks are first promiscuously thrown into the box G, and
may be made to roll over the spreading plate g¹ into the track by a slight
shaking of the frame or box G. The inside edges of the track formed by the
two parts of the frame are bevelled and made perfectly smooth so that the
tacks as they fall thereon will turn head upward, leaving the point banging
down between the rails or parts A, A¹. The tacks will then slide down the
inclined track until they arrive one by one upon the horizontal shoulder h
formed in the main portion of the frame, as shown in Figure 3. The tacks
are passed in singly under the raised driver C and dropped into the aperture
or hopper below by means of the wedge lever I; this lever is hinged to the
top of the frame A, as shown at i, Figures 2 and 3, and its lower end is
curved and forms two horizontal wedges, the bevelled side of the wedges being
the side adjacent to the driver. As the lever I swings upon its fulcrum ¹ the
wedges pass in between the tack which has arrived upon the horizontal
shoulder h and the one following and separates the first tack from the rest.
The wedges pass horizontally through the frame and at right angles to the
direction of the tacks, and by this means the separated tack is pushed forward
until it drops into the hopper, the driver having been meanwhile raised for
that purpose.
It will be observed that whenever the driver is raised above:

page_text: the dies the wedges enter the frame and discharge one tack into the hopper
so that the horizontal movement of the wedges is required to be coincident
with the vertical movement of the driver. This simultaneous movement is
accomplished by means of the cross head j attached to the driver, the said
cross head having a forked, arm j projecting horizontally therefrom. The end
or fork of this arm encloses or clasps the lever I and slides up and down
thereon when the driver is raised and lowered. The cross bead is provided
with legs or feet, which slide upon the parallel guides j formed on the upright
column B. By this means the turning of the driver is prevented and the
forked arm is kept in contact with the lever I. By the peculiar construction
of the lever I and the relative length of the arin j the wedges are moved
inwardly when the driver is raised, and when the said driver is allowed to
drop the wedges are drawn out so that another tack may take the place of
the one previously fed into the hopper. K represents the carpet stretcher,
which has four sharp prongs, and is connected to the bottom of the frame by
means of the shank k¹. The said shank is fitted between the two parts A, A',
of the frame, and is firmly secured thereto by means of the screw a², as shown
in Figures 2 and 3. The recess between the two middle prongs of the
stretcher is made larger than that between the others to allow sufficient room
for the tack and driver to pass through between the said prongs. The
operation of this apparatus is simple and effective. The box G is filled
with tacks, and by a slight shaking they will be thrown upon the track or
guide and form a row thereon. A guard consisting of the rod L may then be
adjusted over the track for the purpose of preventing the loss or displacement
of the tacks from the shaking of the track in case the apparatus is very
quickly handled or moved about. The tacks passing down the inclined track
or guide will be arrested by the wedges, one tack remaining upon the
horizontal shoulder h, as shown in Figure 3.
wedges entering the frame and forcing this
hoppered dies; the driver is then allowed to drop on to the said track until
it rests in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4, drawing the wedges out in
its descent. A blow with the hand, a wooden hammer, or other instrument
upon the head of the driver will drive the tack between the dies through the
opening into the carpeted floor. As soon as the driver is raised the dies
will be closed by the action of the springs E, E', and the hopper is ready to
receive another tack. This apparatus is easily manipulated for stretching and
nailing down carpets and for driving tacks. The handle F is held by the
hand which moves the apparatus, while the other hand is used for working the
driver.
The driver is then raised, the
tack into and between the

page_text: Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
First, an apparatus which combines the functions of a carpet stretcher and
tack driver, either of which functions can be performed separately or both
conjointly, substantially as described.
Second, a tack driver having an inclined tack guide or frame A, A', for the
purpose and substantially as described.
Third, a carpet stretcher K in combination with the frame A, A', and
handle F, substantially as described.
Fourth, the dies D, D', in combination with the driver C for the purpose
and substantially as set forth.
Fifth, the combination of the wedge lever I, cross head j, and forked
arm j, or equivalents, for the purpose and substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)