The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 06, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 04, 1997
William S Smith, Davidson, NC (US);
Triangle Pacific Corporation, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for increasing the flexibility of and straightening wooden flooring strips of the type having a top surface having a decorative finish and a base surface opposed to the top surface. The base surface has a multiplicity of closely spaced-apart scores extending into the flooring strip from the base surface transverse to the length of the flooring strip along substantially the entire length of the flooring strip to relieve stress and increase flexibility in the wood strip for more closely adhering to irregularities of a sub-floor. The apparatus has an infeed zone for feeding flooring strips downstream from an upstream processing station and an outfeed zone for discharging the flooring strips to a downstream processing station. A conveyor conveys the flooring strips downstream from the infeed zone to the outfeed zone. Bending rollers are positioned between the infeed zone and the outfeed zone for applying a progressive bend to the flooring strips as they move downstream on the conveyor of a magnitude to break a quantity of wood fibers in the flooring strip sufficient to equalize tension between the top surface and base surface to thereby straighten the flooring strip along its length.