Appeal No. 1999-2425
Application 08/659,380
surface, or almost imperceptibly below the carpet surface, as
opposed to having a bump or a peak, thereby producing a
relatively invisible seam (col. 1, lines 17-24 and 53-57; col.
2, lines 19-21 and 29-36). Runners on each side of the convex
surface keep the tool aligned with the carpet seam as the tool
is scooted along by the knee and leg of the carpet installer,
bearing most or all of the installer’s weight (col. 1, lines
60-64).
For a teaching of a flat surface the examiner relies upon
Reinhard. This reference discloses a hand-operated tool for
applying binding tape to carpet and for bringing abutting
edges of adjoining sections of carpeting into proper
relationship so that the carpet appears seamless (col. 1,
lines 28-34). The tool includes an elongated flat plate (1)
having an operating handle (4) secured to its top and having a
downwardly flanged longitudinal edge (2) (col. 1, line 55 -
col. 2, line 6). The downwardly flanged longitudinal edge
functions in feeding binding tape as the tool is moved along
an edge of a carpet section being taped along its edges to
prevent raveling (col. 3, lines 11-16 and 57-65; figure 2).
This flanged longitudinal edge, which has a depth such that it
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