Patents by Inventor Merle R. Hoopengardner

Merle R. Hoopengardner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5824175
    Abstract: A hot melt carpet seaming tape and a method of installation are effective to minimize seam peaking at carpet joints. A seaming iron used in the installation has a grooved base plate and connected liquid channels which accomplish seam welding of carpet backings at the seam. As the two carpet edges come together behind the iron, the backings are seam welded by the liquid adhesive in a butt joint, adding significant strength to the seam in the carpet. The carpet seaming tape has a narrow hot melt adhesive strip, preferably less than two inches wide. When the carpet seaming tape is used in conjunction with seam welding (seam sealing), with hot melt adhesive applied between the edges of the carpet backings, the assembled carpeting when stretched will not tend to peak significantly at the seam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5595041
    Abstract: A wall base for wall-to-wall carpeting, formed of a rubbery plastic material, has a flat planar portion for engaging against the wall and an outwardly extending bead or flange positioned to engage the surface of the carpet and to cover its edge. In a preferred embodiment the extending bead has a convexly curved upper surface and a flat lower surface, giving the bead appreciable rigidity, so that a carpet with its edge lying over the bead can easily be tucked under the bead using a blade-type tool. In one embodiment the flat lower surface can be downwardly inclined slightly, e.g. about 5.degree., so that the outer edge line of the bead engages the carpet pile in a sharp line. A tail extension of the flat planar portion extends below the bead or flange and establishes a proper height of the flange above the floor. The carpet wall base of the invention may be installed before installation of a carpet, and may be left in place when a carpet is removed and replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5453150
    Abstract: A carpet seaming system and method include a seaming tape iron, a hot melt carpet seaming tape and a method of installation wherein seam peaking is minimized. The seaming iron has a grooved base plate and connected liquid channels which accomplish seam welding of carpet backings at the seam. The device feeds molten adhesive from the tape through the base plate of the iron up to an elevated location at or near a rear end of the iron, in a position to be picked up by and applied to opposed edges of the two carpet backings as the iron is moved along on the carpet seaming tape. As the two carpet edges come together behind the iron, the backings are seam welded or seam sealed by the liquid adhesive in a butt joint, adding significant strength to the seam in the carpet. In one embodiment, the carpet seaming iron further includes a tape dispenser connected to the iron, for storing and feeding a roll of hot melt seaming tape under the front of the iron's base plate as the iron advances along the tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 26, 1995
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5450698
    Abstract: A wall base for wall-to-wall carpeting, formed of a rubbery plastic material, has a flat planar portion for engaging against the wall and an outwardly extending bead or flange positioned to engage the surface of the carpet and to cover its edge. In a preferred embodiment the extending bead has a convexly curved upper surface and a flat lower surface, giving the bead appreciable rigidity, so that a carpet with its edge lying over the bead can easily be tucked under the bead using a blade-type tool. In one embodiment the flat lower surface can be downwardly inclined slightly, e.g. about 5.degree., so that the outer edge line of the bead engages the carpet pile in a sharp line. A tail extension of the flat planar portion extends below the bead or flange and establishes a proper height of the flange above the floor. The carpet wall base of the invention may be installed before installation of a carpet, and may be left in place when a carpet is removed and replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1995
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5384001
    Abstract: A carpet seaming system and method include a seaming tape iron, a hot melt carpet seaming tape and a method of installation wherein seam peaking is minimized. The seaming iron has a grooved base plate and connected liquid channels which accomplish seam welding of carpet backings at the seam. The device feeds molten adhesive from the tape through the base plate of the iron up to an elevated location at or near a rear end of the iron, in a position to be picked up by and applied to opposed edges of the two carpet backings as the iron is moved along on the carpet seaming tape. As the two carpet edges come together behind the iron, the backings are seam welded or seam sealed by the liquid adhesive in a butt joint, adding significant strength to the seam in the carpet. In one embodiment, the carpet seaming iron further includes a tape dispenser connected to the iron, for storing and feeding a roll of hot melt seaming tape under the front of the iron's base plate as the iron advances along the tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5304268
    Abstract: A carpet pad has pressure sensitive adhesive preapplied on one or both surfaces, for retaining the pad and a carpet in place on a floor by adhesion without the need for stretching. The pad or cushion in one embodiment has a film or sealant on the surfaces of the pad, with pressure sensitive adhesive on at least one of the sealed surfaces for adhering to floor surface or the underside of a carpet. In another embodiment, the pressure sensitive adhesive is a hot melt adhesive, not water-based. The hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to an uncoated porous padding surface which would be unsuitable for a water-based pressure sensitive adhesive due to excessive wicking-in of such an adhesive. An optional scrim webbing may be applied over the pressure sensitive adhesive, in either embodiment. The scrim webbing adds dimensional stability and also enables the carpet pad to be moved around on a floor or against another surface without sticking, prior to the application of pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1994
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5184445
    Abstract: A wall base for wall-to-wall carpeting, formed of a rubbery plastic material, has a flat planar portion for engaging against the wall and an outwardly extending bead or flange positioned to engage the surface of the carpet and to cover its edge. In a preferred embodiment the extending bead has a convexly curved upper surface and a flat lower surface, giving the bead appreciable rigidity, so that a carpet with its edge lying over the bead can easily be tucked under the bead using a blade-type tool. In one embodiment the flat lower surface can be downwardly inclined slightly, e.g. about 5.degree., so that the outer edge line of the bead engages the carpet pile in a sharp line. A tail extension of the flat planar portion extends below the bead or flange and established a proper height of the flange above the floor. The carpet wall base of the invention may be installed before installation of a carpet, and may be left in place when a carpet is removed and replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 5160770
    Abstract: A carpet pad has pressure sensitive adhesive preapplied on one or both surfaces, for retaining the pad and a carpet in place on a floor by adhesion without the need for stretching. The pad or cushion in one embodiment has a film or sealant on the surfaces of the pad, with pressure sensitive adhesive on at least one of the sealed surfaces for adhering to floor surface or the underside of a carpet. In another embodiment, the pressure sensitive adhesive is a hot melt adhesive, not water-based. The hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to an uncoated porous padding surface which would be unsuitable for a water-based pressure sensitive adhesive due to excessive wicking-in of such an adhesive. An optional scrim webbing may be applied over the pressure sensitive adhesive, in either embodiment. The scrim webbing adds dimensional stability and also enables the carpet pad to be moved around on a floor or against another surface without sticking, prior to the application of pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 4990399
    Abstract: A carpet cushion of compressible materials such as urethane foam, natural fibers or felt material has a pressure sensitive adhesive pre-coated on only one side, preferably the side which will be adhered down to a floor. A scrim webbing or other spacer element is laid into the pressure sensitive adhesive after the adhesive has been applied. The spacer element enables the movement of the carpet cushion around on the floor for positioning prior to sticking down to the floor, and when the cushion is rolled for storage and shipment, the spacer element enables the cushion to be rolled without any release film between the rolled layers. In the rolled form of the cushion, the spacer element or scrim webbing prevents the adhesive from strongly adhering to the adjacent opposite surface of the cushion in the roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Step Loc Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 4797170
    Abstract: A carpet and pad installation avoids the need for stretching and tackless strips by utilizing a pad with pressure-sensitive adhesive on one surface. The pad is first laid on the floor surface and trimmed as required, with either the adhesive surface down to adhere to the floor, or with the adhesive surface up and another adhesive applied to the floor prior to laying the pad. A removable release film may cover the pressure-sensitive adhesive on the pad, so that with the adhesive side up the carpet may be unrolled over the release film and then cut and seamed as required. The seamed carpet is folded back and the release film is removed from the exposed area of the carpet cushion, then the carpet is pressed down onto the exposed area of adhesive. Then another portion of the carpet is folded back, the release film is removed from that area, and that portion of the carpet is pressed onto the exposed pressure-sensitive adhesive of the carpet cushion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1989
    Assignee: JacTac, Inc.
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 4714514
    Abstract: A baseplate for a carpet seaming iron of the kind used for making a face seam with hot melt adhesive tape has the underside of the base plate formed with a forward, flat surface and a rearward, ribbed surface. The underside also has a longitudinally extending center groove shaped to form a raised bead of molten adhesive at the outlet end of the iron for coating the side edges of the carpet backings with hot melt adhesive. The forward, flat surface provides maximum contact for heating of the hot melt adhesive; and the rearward, ribbed surface meters the molten adhesive evenly over the full width of the tape. The forward ends of the ribs are longitudinally offset so as to form a V shape which helps to funnel molten adhesive both into the channels between the ribs and into the center groove at the apex of the V as the iron is moved along the tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: Orcon Corporation
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 4557774
    Abstract: A carpet and pad installation avoids the need for stretching and tackless strips by utilizing a pad with pressure-sensitive adhesive on its upper and lower surfaces. The pad is first laid on the floor surface and trimmed as required, with its lower adhesive surface adhering to the floor. Its upper surface has a removable release film covering the pressure-sensitive adhesive, permitting the carpet to be unrolled over the release film and then cut and seamed as required. The seamed carpet is folded back and the release film is removed from the exposed area of the carpet cushion, then the carpet is pressed down onto the exposed area of adhesive. Then another portion of the carpet is folded back, the release film is removed from that area, and that portion of the carpet is pressed onto the exposed pressure-sensitive adhesive of the carpet cushion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1985
    Assignee: Jac Tac, Inc.
    Inventor: Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: 4058423
    Abstract: A manually operated carpet repair tool cuts a circular plug in a carpet to remove a damaged area. The carpet repair tool has two cutting blades which are equally spaced circumferentially on the lower periphery of the tool for balanced tracking of the blades in the cut.Circumferential grooves on a centering pin grip the carpet plug as the cut is being made so that the operator can test to see if the plug is free during the cutting operation and still continue the cut in exactly the same location as before if the cut has not been completed.A carpet repair disk is positioned beneath the opening cut in the carpet to retain a matching carpet repair patch in the opening cut by the carpet repair tool. The carpet repair disk includes a strand reinforced paper backing with an adhesive on the upper surface.The carpet repair disk is of larger diameter than the diameter of the opening cut in the carpet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1977
    Inventors: Hollis H. Bascom, John J. Greci, Merle R. Hoopengardner
  • Patent number: D245392
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1976
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1977
    Assignee: Orcon Corporation
    Inventors: Hollis H. Bascom, John J. Greci, Merle R. Hoopengardner