Patent ID: RE39834

Claim:
A surface smoothing device comprising: a contouring assembly having a first and second end, said contouring assembly able to be moved over an area to be contoured to contour at least one of material positioned on a reference surface and the material of the reference surface to a desired surface shape; a stored profile of the desired shape of the surface; a first sensing apparatus that uses a first method to sense the position and height of said first end of said contouring assembly, the height of said first end of said contouring assembly being sensed without respect to the reference surface; a second sensing apparatus that uses a second method to sense the position and height of said second end of said contouring assembly above one of the material positioned on a reference surface and the material of the reference surface adjacent said contouring assembly , said second method being different from said first method; and a controller that adjusts the height of said first end of said contouring assembly based on the position and height sensed by said first sensing apparatus and said stored profile and that independently adjusts the height of said second end of said contouring assembly based on the distance between said second end of said contouring assembly and a physical reference height sensed by said second sensing apparatus of said second end of said contouring assembly above one of the material positioned on a reference surface and the material of the reference surface adjacent said contouring assembly , such as the reference surface, a previously placed paved surface, a rail, a board, a string or a wire .