Method of assembling and laying a floor covering

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AND LAYING STRIPS OF SPONGE SHEETING HAVING A FABRIC FACING TO PROVIDE A FLOOR COVERING, THE METHOD OF JOINING THOSE EDGES OF THE STRIPS WHICH ARE TO BE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, INCLUDING THE STEPS OF LAYING A FIRST STRIP ON A FLOOR SURFACE WITH ITS FABRIC FACING PRESENTED UPWARDLY, LAYING A SECOND STRIP A ON TOP OF THE FIRST STRIP IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION AND WITH ITS FABRIC FACING MUTUALLY PRESENTED TO THE FABRIC FACING OF THE FIRST STRIP, MARKING A LINE ON THE THEN UPWARDLY PRESENTED FACE OF THE SECOND STRIP AT A POSITION AT WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO JOIN THE STRIPS, STAPLING THE TWO STRIPS TOGETHER ALONG THE SAID LINE AT SPACED INTERVALS TO PROVIDE A BASTING, FURTHER STAPLING THE TWO STRIPS TOGETHER ALONG THE SAID LINE AT CLOSELY SPACED INTERVALS INTERMEDIATE THE BASTING STAPLES TO FORM A STAPLED JOINT, TRIMMING AWAY THAT PORTION OF THE STRIPS BETWEEN THE LINE OF STAPLES AND THE ADJACENT EDGE OF THE STRIPS ALONG A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE LINE OF STAPLES AND AT A DISTANCE FROM THE STAPLES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF ONE OF THE STRIPS, MOVING THE SECOND STRIP TO POSITION THE STAPLED JOINT OVER THE FIRST STRIP, SPREADING THE FIRST AND SECOND STRIPS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND IN A DIRECTION LATERAL TO THE DIRECTIN OF THE JOINT TO CAUSE THE JOINT TO FLATERN, APPLYING A LENGTH OF TAPE OVER THE JOINT TO MASK THE JOINT, AND ADHERING THE TAPE TO THE STRIPS.