Improved System For Levelling Ceramics

Abstract

This invention refers to a one-piece ceramic-tile levelling system comprised of a base from which a longitudinally partially-threaded stem rises perpendicular to the flat surface of the base. The device also consists of a torque hood composed of a partially-threaded cylindrical orifice, to the walls of which said stem is attached in an arrangement concentric to said orifice by means of frangible connections. The stem thread and the torque hood thread are complementary to one another so that when the frangible connections are broken, the torque hood is screwed onto the stem in such a way that a face of the torque hood parallel to the flat surface of the base closes in on the same, levelling the two adjacent tiles as it does so.

Claims

1. A one-piece tile-levelling system which comprises a base from which a longitudinally partially-threaded stem extends perpendicularly, a torque hood defining a partially-threaded orifice, and the stem is joined to the walls of said torque hood in a concentric arrangement with said orifice by means of frangible connections. the thread of the stem and the thread of the torque hood are complementary to each other, so that by breaking the frangible connections in use, the torque hood can be screwed onto the stem in such a way that the underside of said torque hood, being parallel to the flat surface of the base, closes in on the latter and levels the adjacent tiles.

2. A tile-levelling system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to be produced by injection moulding in a single operation.

3. A tile-levelling system according to claim 1 wherein the base is attached to the stem by means of one or more weak points.

4. A tile-levelling system according to claim 1 wherein the stem comprises a flat region, thinner than the rest of the stem, located between the base and the stem thread and configured to abut the tiles during the levelling process.

5. A tile-levelling system according to claim 1 wherein the torque hood comprises a conical cowling on which a series of regularly-spaced fins extends radially from its centre.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] An embodiment of this invention, purely by way of example, is described in detail below. Said embodiment should not be construed as constituting a limitation of the scope of protection of this application, which shall be defined by the claims set forth below. Reference is made in the detailed description to the figures attached hereto, in which:

[0021] FIGS. 1A and 1B represent perspective views of an embodiment of this invention from two different angles.

[0022] FIG. 2A represents a front view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0023] FIG. 2B represents a view of the cross-section D-D indicated in FIG. 2A and a detail showing the stem thread.

[0024] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D illustrate the tile-levelling method using the levelling system shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a levelling system 10 for ceramic tiles or similar construction materials made up of a single apparatus 10 that includes a base 12. A stem 14, partially longitudinally threaded, extends perpendicularly from the base 12. The device 10 consists of a torque hood or cowling 18 provided with a partially-threaded cylindrical orifice 26. The stem 14 is joined to the walls of the orifice 26 in a concentric arrangement to said orifice 26 by means of three frangible connections (concealed) arranged regularly around the stem 14 and on the thread 30 of the cylindrical orifice 26.

[0027] The thread of the stem 16 and the thread of the torque hood 30 are complementary to each other, so that by breaking the frangible connections in use, the torque hood 18 can be screwed onto the stem 14 in such a way that the underside 15 of said torque hood 14, being parallel to the flat surface of the base 12, closes in on the latter causing the compression that levels the adjacent tiles.

[0028] The base 12 is also attached to the stem 14 by means of two weak points 24 in such a way that once the tiles have been levelled, the base 12 is easily separated from the protruding part by breaking the weak points 24 by, for example, striking the remaining part of the device with a mallet.

[0029] The torque hood 18 is comprised of a conical cowling provided with a series of evenly-distributed fins 28 extending radially from the centre of the hood 18 perpendicular to the conical cowling of the same. The purpose of these fins is to make it easier to apply torque to the hood 18 to rotate it on the stem 14 by improving the operator’s grip on said hood 18.

[0030] The stem 14 consists of a flat region 20 of reduced thickness with respect to the rest of the stem - 1 mm in this case - adjacent to the base 12 so that the device 10 can be placed adjacent to a tile with the flat region 20 parallel to the edge of same. Thus the next tile is placed adjacent to the first with a minimum gap between them, in such a way that the levelling system is located between the two tiles.

[0031] The thread of the stem 16, shown in detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B, is located adjacent to a second flat region 22 of the same. Said thread has a 6-mm pitch and extends through two full turns of thread, that is, over 12 mm of the stem 14. The thread profile is trapezoidal with rounded outer edges. The root of the thread is 3 mm wide, the width at its crest is 1.09 mm and the inclination of its flanks on the wall of the stem is 21with the result that the thread is 2.1 mm high.

[0032] The relative orientation of the torque hood 18 and stem 14 is such that by manually pressing on the torque hood 14 and breaking the frangible connections, the torque hood 18 slides on the stem 14 until the beginning of the thread of stem 16 is located at the entrance to the thread 30 of the torque hood 18. At this point only two turns of the of torque hood 18 and its thread are required to compress and level the adjacent tiles.

[0033] The total height of the one-piece levelling system 10 is 69.5 mm. The torque hood 18 is 50 mm in diameter and 28.5 mm high. The base 12 is 30 mm in diameter and the stem diameter is 4.5 mm.

[0034] The one-piece levelling system 10 is produced by propylene injection moulding in a single injection, after which it is packaged directly on exit from the injection machine. This means that the investment required to make a single mould and the production cost of the device is very low since it does not require assembly or any other post-injection operation. To sum up, this levelling system entails a reduced initial investment (in a single mould), low manufacturing cost (absence of post-injection assembly tasks) and a faster implementation method (the base and the torque hood are preassembled and joined by frangible connections). Removal of the remaining parts after levelling is faster since, due to their low cost, reuse of the same is economically inviable.

[0035] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D show a tile-levelling method 40, 42 using a levelling system as depicted in FIG. 1.

[0036] FIG. 3A shows how the one-piece tile-levelling system 10 is positioned so that the flat region 20 of the stem 14 abuts an edge 41 of the tile 40 and half the base 12a is positioned under a tile 40.

[0037] Then, FIG. 3B shows how the next tile 42 is placed so that one of its edges 43 abuts the opposite face of the flat region 22 of the stem 14 and covers the other half 12b of the base of the device 10.

[0038] The following FIG. 3B shows how a vertical force (indicated by arrows) is manually applied to the torque hood 18 until the frangible connections attaching it to the stem 14 break. This gives rise to the situation depicted in FIG. 3C, where the torque hood 18 rests on the stem thread 16 in a position in which the beginning of the stem thread 16 coincides with the start of the thread of the cylindrical orifice 26 of the torque hood 18. Now, without removing the hand from the torque hood 18, the operator rotates it until the two tiles 40, 42 are clamped and levelled between the lower edge of the hood 18 and the upper surface of the base 12, at which point the levelling process is complete.

[0039] Once the cement 45 dries, the device 2 breaks off at the weak points 24 as a result of a blow to the stem, leaving only the base 12 concealed under the tiles. The rest of the device is thrown into the recycling bin.