1. Technical Field
Generally, the invention relates to a tail stock for a carpet stretcher. Particularly, the invention relates to a tail stock for a carpet stretcher which can be used to stretch carpet against a flat wall, intersecting corner wall surfaces or a center room post and which includes a floor hook attachment which hooks into the floor to anchor the carpet stretcher in a large room free of posts. Specifically, the invention relates to a tail stock which has a pair of vertically extending co-planar surfaces for abutting the flat wall, a V-shaped section formed between the two planar surfaces for engaging the intersecting corner wall surfaces and center room post, and a floor hook attachment which has a downwardly extending hooked first end and a second end complementary in shape to the V-shaped section of the tail stock wherein the second end extends within the recess when the floor hook attachment is attached to the tail stock.
2. Background Information
When a carpet installer installs wall-to-wall carpet in a room, tacking boards, commonly known as tackless stripping, are secured around the floor adjacent each peripheral wall. The installer places the carpet over the tacking boards of one side of the room and secures the carpet thereto. The installer then uses a carpet stretcher to stretch the other sides of the carpet to their respective tacking boards for securing thereto.
Conventional carpet stretchers include a tail stock located at one end of the tool and a carpet-engaging head on the other end of the tool. The tail stock has a flat end which is placed against the wall of the first side of the room and the carpet-engaging head has pins or studs which engage the carpet. Telescopic tubing or pipe sections are used to move the carpet-engaging head into position across the room. A toggle-type mechanism near the portion of the telescopic tubing is used to move the carpet-engaging head away from the tail stock after the pins of the head have engaged the carpet. The installer stretches the carpet until it extends over the tacking boards of the remaining sides of the room and is secured thereto.
One problem with these conventional carpet stretchers is that the tail stocks have a flat surface to abut straight walls when the carpet stretcher is being used to install carpet. Many rooms in modern homes have L-shaped rooms formed by two outwardly projection wall surfaces which meet at a right angle forming a corner therebetween. The flat surface of the tail stock does not conform to the outwardly extending corner making it difficult for the installer to stretch the carpet to the corner opposite the projecting walls. The tail stock is placed against one of the projecting walls and the carpet stretcher extends toward the opposite corner at an acute angle to the wall. When the carpet installer applies pressure against the wall during installation of the carpet, the tail stock slides laterally along the wall preventing the installer from applying the pressure needed to stretch the carpet.
One method used by carpet installers to compensate for this problem is to have a workman's foot placed against the tail stock to prevent the tail stock from sliding. However, this method was found to be ineffective because of the workman's inability to counteract the magnitude of the force exerted on the tail stock.
Several prior art devices were developed which address the problem of installing carpet in an L-shaped room. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,440 discloses a tail block which has a V-shaped section formed between a pair of flat sections. The flat sections allow the tail stock to be used against a flat wall and the recess receives the outwardly extending corner and allows the tail stock to be used against the corner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,440 discloses a carpet stretching pivot bridge which includes a pair of outwardly extending legs pivotally secured to the tail stock. One of the legs includes a flat end for contacting a flat wall and the other leg includes an L-shaped end which engages the outwardly extending corner.
Another problem with the conventional carpet stretchers is that they are not long enough to extend between opposing walls in a large room, or in a large room with a support post, the flat surface of the tail stock is not adapted to engage the cylindrical shaped support post.
One prior art device which addresses the problem of installing carpet in a large room with support posts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,846 which includes a plurality of brace assemblies which are connected in place of the tail stock. The brace assemblies are generally U-shaped and are adapted to fit around and grasp the support posts allowing the carpet-engaging head to stretch the carpet in a direction away from the support post.
Another device includes a floor hook which attaches to the end of the telescopic tubing and includes an elongated downward extending pointed hook which extends into and anchors the telescopic end to the carpet to allow the carpet-engaging head to stretch the carpet to the walls of the large room free of center room posts.
Although these devices were adequate for the purpose for which they were intended, all of the different attachments and tail stock ends are needed to install carpet in certain buildings. The carpet installers must carry all of the different attachments to and from the worksite which is burdensome and time consuming. The carpet installers must make multiple trips to their vehicles to transport the heavy carpet stretcher and attachments into the room to be carpeted.
Also, the carpet installer often desires to rigidly mount the tail stock to the carpet-engaging head and prevent any pivotal movement thereof. These prior art tail stocks fail to disclose a tail stock which can be either rigidly or pivotally mounted without modification thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,440 described above requires a special attachment at the end of the telescopic tubing which allows the carpet-engaging head to pivotally mount on the tail stock.
Further, it is desirable for the tail stock to have wheels to allow the carpet installer to easily move the tail stock along the wall without having to walk back and forth between the tail stock and carpet-engaging head each time the carpet installer secures a portion of the carpet to the tacking boards.
Additionally, the tail stock must include a tacky outer surface to allow the carpet installer to selectively hold the tail stock against the flat wall, intersecting corner wall surfaces or center room post.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved tail stock for a carpet stretcher which reduces the number of attachments to be carried to and from the worksite, which includes a tail stock capable of engaging a straight wall, intersecting corner wall surfaces or a support post, and which includes one floor hook attachment which is easily attached to the tail stock to allow the tail stock to engage the floor of a large room free of support posts.