US600129A - Half to william p - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. D. WILCHER. CARPET STRE'I'GHER.

No. 600,129. Patented M-ar. 1,1898.

WITNESSES [NVgFNTOR 7 M mm m: Mourns PETERS co PMoTu-umo WASHINGTON o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. WILOHER, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILLIAM P, STINE, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-STRETCHER.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,129, dated March 1, 1898.

A li ti fil d November 4., 1897. Serial No. 657,454. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LJoHN D.WILCHER,a citizen of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements, as hereinafter set forth, in carpet-stretchers.

The object of my invention is to produce a carpet-stretcher of simple and cheap construction and by means of which carpets may be stretched in either forward, rearward, or lateral direction without adjustment or removal and repositioning of the stretcher from position of contact with the carpet.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the stretcher complete. Fig.

-2 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the operative lever. Fig. 3 represents an under side perspective view of a portion of the stretcher-block.

The stretcher proper consists of a rectangular block 1, having a smooth and flat top face 2, on which when in use either the foot or the knee of the user may be pressed to maintain contact thereof with the carpet. The under face a of the stretcher is provided with a series of quadruple teeth 3 4: 5 6, said series extending over the entire under face and each individual member of the series of said teeth having curved or rounded upper portions 7 and beveled or outwardly-curved points,8 ex tending in four opposite directions, as shown, whereby contact is had by each quadruple series of teeth with the carpet in four distinct places and in radial directions, so that in Whichever direction it may be desired to stretch the carpet the exertion of force horizontally on said block in such direction will by reason of the contact of said teeth with the carpet at four opposite points result in the stretching of the carpet in the desired direction without necessitating the removal of the foot or knee pressure on or adjustment in position of said block. By this construction of teeth sufficient gripping contact with the carpet is had at all times to insure the stretching of the carpet, while at the same time entirely preventing any danger of the carpet tearing under the stretching strain. The block 1, with toothed under face, may be formed integrally, if desired; but I prefer to form the block 1 of some suitable material, as wood, and to form the carpet-gripping portion a of sheet metal and to punch up therein the series of carpet-gripping teeth described and then secure the under portion a to the block 1 in some suitable manneras, for instance, by turning up the edges 9 and secur ing said edges to the edges of the block 1.

10 11 12 represent operative-lever connections extending from the opposite ends and one or both sides, respectively, of the block 1, said lever connections being of hook form and having their hooks extending upwardly, as shown, to receive the hinge and spring link 13, carried by the operative lever 14. By supplying the stretcher with such lever connections at opposite edges the lever can,without shifting the stretcher-block or removing the foot or knee pressure thereon, be readily placed in operative contact with either end or side of the stretchenblock,accordin g to whichever direction it may be desired to move said stretcher-block, and stretch the carpet. The lever 14 may be of any suitable material, and has at its lower end a bearing or fulcrum point 15, which in use in movingthe stretcher acts as a fulcrum to draw the stretcher-block in the desired direction. WVhen said lever is formed of Wood, said fulcrum-point 15 is secured thereto by a ferrule 16. 17 represents a transverse slot or hole formed in said lever near its lower end. Within this slot or hole the upper portion of the link 13 has spring and hinge bearing, the free upper ends of said link being curved or bent, as shown at 18, and crossed the one over the other, as shown at 19, whereby said ends will have spring bearing the one on the other within said slot 17, which construction lessens the friction of said link Within its seat and also maintains the link always in position for engagement with the lever connections on the stretcher-block.

, The construction of my device is very simple and it can be readily and cheaply manufactured and is very simple and effective in operation. The carpet to be stretched havin g been laid, the stretcher-block is laid thereon points down at the portion needing stretching. The user then places either a foot or a knee on the upper plane-faced portion and slips the lower portion of the link 13 into engagement with that one of the hook- shaped lever connections 10, 11, or 12 in the plane in which the stretching is to be eifected. The upper portion of the lever 14' is then drawn rearwardly and the point 15 placed in engagement with the carpet in advance of the block. The upper portion of the lever is then pushed forward, which act will necessarily draw in the same direction the stretcher-block,which, as it moves forward, carries with it and stretches the carpet with which its teeth are in engagement. The requisite stretching of the carpet at such point being thus effected and the carpet tacked down at that point, should it be desired to stretch the carpet laterally all that is necessary is to simply remove the link from engagement with the hook with which it is in engagement and place it in engagement with that hook connection at the edge of the blockl in the plane of the direction in which the additional stretching is to be eifected and then proceed as before stated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- A carpet-stretcher consisting of a block having a plane-faced top and, on its under side, a series of teeth each member of said series being composed of a subseries of quadruple and curved teeth extending outwardly in four opposite directions, a plurality of lever connections extending horizontally from the side and end edges, respectively, of said block and having upturned hook-shaped outer ends, an operative lever having a pointed lower end and a transverse slot above said point, and a link depending from said lever and having at its upper portion spring and pivotal seat bearing in the transverse slot in said lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. \VILCIIER.

Witnesses:

S. B. AVIS, MYRTLE W. HALL.

Images