THIS INVENTION relates to a method of locating a flooring element, and in particular concerns a method of easily pressing flooring elements into position in confined spaces and with minimal equipment.

When laying a floor composed of flooring elements or boards having substantially rectangular cross sections, it is desirable to force each newly-laid board against the adjacent previously-laid boards to locate the new board properly. Conventionally, this is achieved by the use of a device which is positioned over the leading edge of a newly-laid board, and which is adapted to drive a nail through the side of the board and into the supporting surface beneath in a diagonal direction. The device includes a protruding surface which, when struck with a hammer or other suitable large object, drives the nail through the board and supporting surface. It will be appreciated that the force of the driving of the nail into the side of the board pushes the newly-laid board up against the previously-laid adjacent boards, and the passage of the nail into the supporting surface beneath secures the board in this position. The driving of the nail into a side surface of the board also means that the head of the nail, or the hole made by the nail, are not visible on the top surface of the board once the floor has been completely laid.

There are, however, drawbacks associated with this technique. For instance, the device used to drive nails through newly-laid boards is typically

rather bulky and heavy, and awkward to transport from one site to another or move around a room while a floor is laid therein.

In addition, it will be appreciated that, as the laying of a floor nears completion, the wall of the room adjacent the part of the supporting surface which has not yet had boards laid thereon will inhibit the swinging of a hammer against the protruding surface of the device, thus making operation of the device awkward or ineffective.

It has been proposed to locate flooring elements by bracing two substantially wedge-shaped elements between a newly-laid flooring element and a fixed opposing surface (e. g. a wall). The wedge elements are oriented so that their respective narrow ends point in opposite directions, and one of the wedge elements is then driven in a direction passing from the wider end thereof to the narrow end thereof. As this occurs, the wall and the newly-laid flooring element are driven apart, but since the wall is solidly fixed the net result will simply be the movement of the newly-laid flooring element.

It has been found, however, that substantial amounts of friction are generated using this method, thus resulting in short life-spans for the wedge- shaped components, and the requirement to expend a relatively large amount of effort in driving the wedge-shaped member.

It is an object of the present invention to seek to alleviate some or all of the above difficulties.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a method of locating a flooring element, comprising the steps of : laying a flooring element ; providing a spacing member having a pair of substantially arcuate surfaces ;

positioning the spacing member between the flooring element and a fixed element so that one of the substantially arcuate surfaces contacts the fixed element ; providing a separating member, the separating member having first and second faces inclined at an angle to one another so that at least a part of the separating member is in the form of a wedge having a wider end and a narrower end; positioning the separating member so that one of the first and second faces contacts the flooring element and the other of the first and second faces contacts the other of the substantially arcuate surfaces of the spacing member ; and driving the separating member between the flooring element and the spacing member in a direction passing from the wider end of the wedge to the narrower end thereof, thereby exerting forces on the flooring element and the spacing member in directions to separate the flooring element and the spacing member.

Advantageously, the step of providing a spacing member comprises the step of providing a spacing member having a surface thereof that contacts the separating member which is inclined with respect to a surface thereof that contacts the fixed element, so that, when the separating member is positioned so that one of the first and second faces contacts the flooring element and the other of the first and second faces contacts the spacing member, the surfaces of the spacing member and the separating member that contact one another are substantially parallel.

Preferably, the step of providing a spacing member comprises the step of providing a spacing member having a substantially circular cross section.

Conveniently, the method further comprises the step of securing the fixed element to a surface upon which the flooring element is laid.

Advantageously, the method further comprises the step of forming a groove in at least the one of the first and second faces of the separating member that contacts the flooring element.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a flooring element locator comprising: a separating member having first and second faces inclined at an angle to one another, so that at least a part of the separating member is in the form of a wedge having a wider end and a narrower end; and a spacing member having a pair of substantially arcuate surfaces, the separating member being drivable between the separating member and a fixed element in a direction passing from the wider end thereof to the narrower end thereof, thereby exerting forces on the flooring element and the spacing member in directions to separate the flooring element and the spacing member.

Preferably, the surface of the spacing member that contacts the separating member is inclined with respect to an opposite surface thereof, so that, when the separating member is positioned so that one of the first and second faces contacts the flooring element and the other of the first and second faces contacts the spacing member, the surfaces of the spacing and the separating member that contract one another are substantially parallel.

Conveniently, the spacing member has a substantially circular cross section.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a method of locating a flooring element, the method comprising the steps of : laying a flooring element across a pair of spaced apart supporting beams; providing a removable surface comprising a substantially planar sheet, a raised lip protruding from the plane of

the sheet, and a pair of attachment sites by which the removable surface may be attached to the beams; placing the removable sheet across the pair of beams such that an edge of the sheet lies close to the flooring element; attaching the removable surface to the beams ; placing a spacing member on the sheet between the flooring element and the raised lip so that the spacing member contacts the raised lip ; providing a separating member having first and second faces inclined to one another so that at least a part of the separating member is in the form of a wedge having a wider end and a narrower end; placing the separating member on the sheet so that one of the first and second faces contacts the flooring element and the other of the first and second faces contacts the spacing member; and driving the separating member between the flooring element and the spacing member in a direction passing from the wider end of the wedge to the narrower end thereof, thereby exerting forces on the flooring element and the spacing member in directions to separate the flooring element and the spacing member.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of exerting a pushing force on a moveable element, comprising the steps of : providing a moveable element; providing a spacing member having a pair of substantially arcuate surfaces ; positioning the spacing member between the moveable element and a fixed element so that one of the substantially arcuate surfaces contacts the fixed element; providing a separating member, the separating member having first and second faces inclined at an angle to one another so that at least a part of the separating member is in the form of a wedge having a wider end and a narrower end; positioning the separating member so that one of the first and second faces contacts the moveable element and the other of the first and second faces contacts the other of the substantially arcuate surfaces of the spacing member ; and driving the separating member between the moveable element and the spacing member in a direction passing from the wider end of

the wedge to the narrower end thereof, thereby exerting forces on the moveable element and the spacing member in directions to push the moveable element away from the spacing member.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a flooring element locator embodying the present invention; and Figure 2 shows a known flooring element locator.

Turning to Figure 1, a flooring element locator 1 embodying the present invention is shown. The flooring element locator 1 comprises a separating member 2 and a spacing member 3.

At least a part of the separating member 2 is substantially wedge-shaped in cross section, comprising first and second separating faces 4,5 which are inclined at an angle to one another. The separating member 2 is substantially planar, and has approximately the same depth as the flooring elements with which the flooring element locator is to be used.

The separating member 3 is substantially circular in cross section, and is also substantially planar, having a depth approximately equal to that of the flooring elements.

Preferably, the separating member and spacing member are formed from a tough, durable material that is unlikely to crack and also unlikely to mark or

damage flooring elements or walls. An example of such a material is high- density polyethylene, although the present invention is not limited to this material.

The flooring element locator 1 can be used to locate a newly-laid flooring element 6, which is laid against a row of previously-laid, substantially parallel flooring elements 7.

Firstly, a fixed element 8 is provided on a supporting surface (not shown) upon which the floor is being laid. The fixed element 8 may be secured to the supporting surface by means of screws 9, or any other suitable means.

The fixed element 8 preferably comprises a robust, substantially rectangular member, and is arranged so that one of the major surfaces thereof is substantially parallel to an edge of the newly-laid flooring element 6. The distance from the newly-laid flooring element 6 that the fixed element 8 should be positioned will become apparent from the description below.

Next, the spacing element 3 is laid flat between the fixed element 8 and the newly-laid flooring element 6, so that one edge of the separating member 3 contacts the fixed element 8.

The separating member 2 is then placed between the newly-laid flooring element 6 and the spacing member 3, so that one of the separating faces 4 contacts the newly-laid flooring element 6, and the other of the separating faces 5 contact a surface of the separating member 3. It will be appreciated that, due to the wedge shape of the separating member 2, the narrow end of the separating member 2 may be inserted into the space between the spacing member 3 and the newly-laid flooring element 6, and the separating member 2 can then be pushed in a direction from the wider end thereof to the narrower

end thereof until the respective separating faces 4,5 contact the appropriate components.

Once the spacing member 3 and separating member 2 are in position, a force is applied to the separating member 2, in a direction passing from the wider end thereof to the narrower end thereof. This force may be applied by, for instance, striking the wider end of the separating member 2 with a hammer.

This force will drive the separating member 2 in the direction passing from the wider end thereof to the narrower end thereof, and it will be appreciated that, as this occurs, the spacing member 3 will rotate with respect to the fixed element 8 and to the separating member 2, thereby facilitating the relative motion of these two components and reducing the friction that must be overcome to effect the motion.

It will be appreciated that the driving of the separating member 2 in the direction passing from the wider end thereof to the narrower end thereof will exert forces on the newly-laid flooring element 6 and the spacing element 3 (and hence ultimately the fixed element 8) in a direction to separate the fixed element 8 and the newly-laid flooring element 6. Since the fixed element 8 is secured to the supporting surface upon which the floor is being laid, and the newly-laid flooring element 6 is not secured to the surface, it will be appreciated that these forces will have little effect in moving the fixed element 8, but will drive the newly-laid flooring element 6 against the adjacent previously-laid flooring element 7, thus properly locating the newly-laid flooring element 6.

Once this operation has been completed, the separating element 2 can be removed by applying a force to the narrower end thereof in a direction passing from the narrower end thereof to the wider end thereof, the fixed element 8 can

be removed and the flooring element locator 1 is then ready to be stored away or used to locate a new flooring element.

In the above example, the separating member 3 is placed against a rectangular fixed element 8, which is fixed to the supporting surface. However, the fixed element may comprise a wall of the room in which the floor is being laid. Alternatively, a rectangular block may be placed against the wall, in any orientation, to provide a suitably robust surface.

Figure 2 shows a known flooring element locator 10 as discussed above.

The known flooring element locator 10 again comprises a wedge-shaped separating element 2, however the spacing member 3 is not circular in cross section, but has a quadrilateral cross section, two opposing sides of which are substantially parallel, and the other two opposing sides of which are inclined at an angle to one another. The angle of inclination between these two opposing sides is approximately equal to the angle of inclination between the first and second separating faces 4,5 of the separating member 2.

The separating member 2 is then driven between the spacing member 3 and the newly-laid flooring element 6, in the same way as described above, and the driving of the separating element 2 between the spacing member 3 and the newly-laid flooring element 6 locates the newly-laid flooring element 6.

However, since the separating element 2 and the spacing member 3 must slide past each other as the separating element 2 is driven, large quantities of friction must be overcome to drive the separating element 2. It will be appreciated that this will lead to the need for a greater force to drive the separating element, as well as wearing the components out more quickly when compared to the above- described apparatus embodying the present invention.

It is sometimes desired to lay flooring elements across a series of spaced-apart parallel joists, which do not rest on a fixed supporting surface.

For instance, the joists may comprise the floor of a loft portion of a house.

Clearly, since the portions of the boards which do not rest on the joists are above an empty space, it has proved problematic to lay flooring elements easily or reliably in such circumstances.

The present invention also provides a removable supporting surface for use with the flooring element locator discussed above.

The removable surface comprises a substantially planar sheet of a rigid material (for instance steel), having a lip at one edge thereof which is oriented substantially at right angles to the plane of the sheet. The sheet is wider than the space between two joists with which the removable surface is to be used, and an underside of the sheet is provided with a pair of fixing means, spaced apart approximately the same distance as two of the joists.

In use of the removable surface, the removable surface is attached to the upper sides of two joists by the fixing means provided on the underside of the sheet. The removable surface is positioned so that a leading edge of the sheet lies near a newly-laid flooring element, with the raised lip on the edge opposite the leading edge (i. e. the edge furthest from the newly-laid flooring element).

The above-described flooring locator is then used on the planar sheet, using the raised lip as a fixed element, to locate the newly-laid flooring element properly.

Once the newly-laid flooring element has been located, the removable surface is detached from the joists and can then be stored or used to locate a further flooring element.

Preferably, the fixing means comprise cut-out triangular sections of the sheet which face downwardly, and which can be driven into the upper surfaces.

Alternatively, nails or screws or any other suitable fixing means may be used.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple yet flexible method for locating flooring elements, which can be used regardless of the space available between a newly-laid flooring element and an opposing wall, and which does not require bulky or expensive equipment.

It will be understood that the utility of the present invention is not restricted to the laying of flooring elements, and the invention may be used in any situation in which a user is required to exert a pushing force against a moveable element. Examples of such situations include the clamping of an element against another, and the separation of fixed elements from one another.

In the present specification"comprises"means"includes or consists of" and"comprising"means"including or consisting of'.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.