# US 8,540,180 B2 · Apparatus and method for distribution of a floor covering > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,540,180 B2 - Document ID: US8540180B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/719,315 - Filed: 2010-03-08 - Published: 2011-03-17 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2009-03-06 - Applicants: Marc F. Sobas - Inventors: Marc F. Sobas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540180B2 ## CPC - E01C 19/522: {Apparatus for laying the elements by rolling or unfolding, e.g. for temporary pavings} - E04F 21/20: for laying flooring (made of similar material to roads or pavements E01C {; arrangements for removing of previously fixed floor covering E04G23/00}) - E01C: CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR (forming roads or like surfaces by compacting or grading snow or ice E01H) - E04F: FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS (windows, doors E06B) ## Abstract An apparatus includes a frame and a roller. The frame has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to be coupled to a vehicle configured to move along a surface, such as for example, an industrial utility vehicle, scooter or the like. The roller is coupled to the second portion of the frame such that when the first portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle the second portion of the frame and the roller are spaced apart from the surface, and the roller is configured to contact a portion of a substantially cylindrical roll. The portion of the substantially cylindrical roll is disposed between the surface and a horizontal center line of the substantially cylindrical roll. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a frame having a vehicle coupling portion and a roller portion, the vehicle coupling portion configured to be coupled to a vehicle, the vehicle configured to move along a surface to distribute a substantially cylindrical roll about the surface such that a diameter of the substantially cylindrical roll is decreased from a first diameter to a second diameter when the substantially cylindrical roll is distributed about the surface; and a plurality of rollers coupled to the roller portion of the frame such that a rotational axis about which a first roller from the plurality of rollers rotates is non-coaxial to a rotational axis about which a second roller from the plurality of rollers rotates, and such that when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle the first roller from the plurality of rollers and the second roller from the plurality of rollers are each disposed between the vehicle and a vertical center line of the substantially cylindrical roll, the first roller from the plurality of rollers is configured to contact a first contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter, the first roller from the plurality of rollers being spaced apart from substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter, the second roller from the plurality of rollers is configured to contact a second contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter, the second contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll disposed between the surface and a horizontal center line of the substantially cylindrical roll. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the substantially cylindrical roll is a carpet roll; and the second roller is configured to transmit a force to the carpet roll to unroll the carpet roll when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle, the second roller is in contact with the second contact portion of the carpet roll, and the vehicle is moved along the surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the roller portion of the frame includes a first frame member and a second frame member, the first frame member and the second frame member being substantially parallel; and the first roller and the second roller are each a cylindrical roller coupled to the first frame member and the second frame member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the first frame member is a first non-linear frame member and the second frame member is a second non-linear frame member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the roller portion of the frame includes a first frame member and a second frame member, at least a portion of the first frame member and a portion of the second frame member being curved; and the rotational axis about which the first roller rotates is a first axis and the rotational axis about which the second roller rotates is a second axis, the plurality of rollers includes a third roller that rotates about a third axis, the third roller from the plurality of rollers being configured to contact a third contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll, the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis being non-coaxial such that the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are disposed non-linearly along the curved portion of the first frame member and the curved portion of the second frame member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll is disposed between the surface and the horizontal centerline when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of rollers includes a third roller configured to contact the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter, the rotational axis about which the first roller rotates is non-coaxial with the rotational axis about which the second roller rotates, the rotational axis about which the second roller rotates is non-coaxial with a rotational axis about which the third roller rotates. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the frame includes a roll support member coupled to the roller portion of the frame, the roll support member configured to contact a third contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the roller portion of the frame is spaced apart from the surface by a distance when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle; and the roller portion of the frame is configured to move relative to the vehicle coupling portion of the frame such that the distance can be changed. ### Claim 10 An apparatus, comprising: a frame having a vehicle coupling portion and a roller portion, the vehicle coupling portion configured to be coupled to a vehicle, the vehicle configured to move along a surface to distribute a substantially cylindrical roll about the surface such that a diameter of the substantially cylindrical roll is decreased from a first diameter to a second diameter when the substantially cylindrical roll is distributed about the surface; a first roller coupled to the roller portion of the frame, the first roller configured to rotate about a first axis; a second roller coupled to the roller portion of the frame, the second roller configured to rotate about a second axis, the second axis being non-coaxial with the first axis; and a third roller coupled to the roller portion of the frame, the third roller configured to rotate about a third axis, the third axis being non-coaxial with the first axis and non-coaxial with the second axis, the roller portion of the frame configured such that when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are each spaced apart from the surface and at least one of the first roller, the second roller, or the third roller is configured to maintain contact with an outer surface of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the first roller is configured to be spaced apart from the surface by a first distance, the second roller is configured to be spaced apart from the surface by a second distance different than the first distance, and the third roller is configured to be spaced apart from the surface by a third distance different from the second distance; and the roller portion of the frame is configured to move within a channel defined by the vehicle coupling portion of the frame such that the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance can be changed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first roller contacts a contact portion on the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical roll, the contact portion being disposed between the surface and a horizontal center line of the substantially cylindrical roll. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the roller portion of the frame includes a first non-linear frame member and a second non-linear frame member; and the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are each coupled to the first non-linear frame member and the second non-linear frame member such that the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are arranged in a non-linear path along the first non-linear frame member and the second non-linear frame member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the roller portion of the frame includes a first frame member and a second frame member, at least a portion of the first frame member and a at least a portion of the second frame member being curved; and the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are a cylindrical roller coupled to the first frame member and the second frame member such that the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller are arranged in a non-linear path along the curved portion of the first frame member and along the curved portion of the second frame member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the first roller is configured to contact a first contact portion on the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and is configured to be spaced apart from the first contact portion when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter, the second roller is configured to contact a second contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and is configured to be spaced apart from the second contact portion when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter, and the third roller is configured to contact a third contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter. ### Claim 16 An apparatus, comprising: a frame having a vehicle coupling portion and a roller portion, the vehicle coupling portion of the frame configured to be coupled to a vehicle, the vehicle configured to move along a surface to move a substantially cylindrical roll along the surface such that a diameter of the substantially cylindrical roll is decreased when the substantially cylindrical roll is distributed about the surface; a plurality of rollers coupled to the roller portion of the frame such that when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle and the vehicle is moved along the surface, the plurality of rollers is configured to transmit a first force on a first contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll to distribute the substantially cylindrical roll about the surface; and a roll support member coupled to the roller portion of the frame such that when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle and the vehicle is moved along the surface the roll support member is configured to transmit a second force on a second contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll, the second contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll disposed between the surface and a horizontal centerline of the substantially cylindrical roll. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein: the first contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll is disposed between the surface and the horizontal center line of the substantially cylindrical roll, the first contact portion of the substantially cylindrical roll is disposed between the plurality of rollers in contact with the first contact portion and a vertical centerline of the substantially cylindrical roll. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein: the plurality of rollers includes a first roller and a second roller; and the first roller from the plurality of rollers is in contact with the first contact portion when the substantially cylindrical roll has a first diameter and is spaced apart from the first contact portion when the substantially cylindrical roll has a second diameter, the second roller from the plurality of rollers is in contact with the first contact portion when the substantially cylindrical roll has the first diameter and when the substantially cylindrical roll has the second diameter, the first diameter of the substantially cylindrical roll being greater than the second diameter of the substantially cylindrical roll. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein: the roller portion of the frame configured such that when the vehicle coupling portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle the plurality of rollers is spaced apart from the surface by a distance, and the roller portion of the frame is configured to move within a channel defined by the vehicle coupling portion of the frame such that the distance can be changed.