TOOLS FOR APPLICATION OF BINDING AGENTS AND FILLER

Abstract

A tool for applying a binding agent and/or a filler is provided. The tool enables convenient and accurate application of the binding agent and/or the filler, such as adhesive or mortar for wall panels and grout between wall panels. The tool comprises a body including a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of edges circumferentially extending around the body, each of the plurality of edges defining a junction of the front surface and the rear surface. One of the plurality of edges comprises a plurality of teeth extending away from the body. The teeth may comprise a flat face. One of the plurality of edges may comprise a protrusion. One or more rounded corners may be circumferentially disposed around the body between two proximal edges.

Claims

1. A tool, comprising: a body including a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of edges circumferentially extending around the body, each of the plurality of edges defining a junction of the front surface and the rear surface, wherein the plurality of edges includes a first edge comprising a plurality of teeth extending away from the body, the plurality of teeth comprising a flat face disposed on each tooth oppositely from the body.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the plurality of edges includes a horizontal second edge, and wherein the body includes a rounded corner disposed between the horizontal second edge and one of the plurality of edges, the horizontal second edge and the one of the plurality of edges defining an angle of less than 90 degrees.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the angle is between 85 and 89.5 degrees.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein the plurality of teeth taper inwardly as the teeth extend from the body to the flat face.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of edges comprises a protrusion extending away from the body.

6. The tool of claim 5, wherein the protrusion is positioned centrally laterally along the one of the plurality of edges comprising the protrusion.

7. The tool of claim 1, wherein the body is integrally formed.

8. The tool of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of edges taper inwardly as the one or more plurality of edges extend away from the body.

9. The tool of claim 1, wherein the flat face is parallel to the first edge comprising the plurality of teeth.

10. A tool, comprising: a body including a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of edges circumferentially extending around the body, each of the plurality of edges defining a junction of the front surface and the rear surface, wherein the plurality of edges includes a first edge comprising a plurality of teeth extending away from the body, and wherein the plurality of edges includes a horizontal second edge, and wherein the body includes a rounded corner disposed between the horizontal second edge and one of the plurality of edges, the horizontal second edge and the one of the plurality of edges defining an angle of less than 90 degrees.

11. The tool of claim 10, wherein the angle is between 85 and 89.5 degrees.

12. The tool of claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of edges comprises a protrusion extending away from the body.

13. The tool of claim 12, wherein the plurality of edges comprises a third edge comprising the protrusion.

14. The tool of claim 10, wherein one or more of the plurality of edges taper inwardly as the one or more plurality of edges extend away from the body.

15. A tool, comprising: a body including a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of edges circumferentially extending around the body, each of the plurality of edges defining a junction of the front surface and the rear surface, wherein the plurality of edges includes a first edge comprising a plurality of teeth extending away from the body, and wherein the plurality of edges includes a second edge having a protrusion extending away from the body.

16. The tool of claim 15, wherein one or more of the plurality of edges taper inwardly as the one or more plurality of edges extend away from the body.

17. The tool of claim 15, wherein the protrusion is positioned centrally laterally along the second edge.

18. The tool of claim 15, wherein the protrusion is dimensioned to be received in a grout line between adjacent tiles, simulated tiles, or wall panels.

19. The tool of claim 15, wherein the body comprises one or more corners having a radius of 2-8 mm.

20. The tool of claim 15, wherein the body comprises a first corner having a first radius and a second corner having a second radius, wherein the first radius is different from the second radius.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Further features and advantages can be ascertained from the following detailed description that is provided in connection with the drawings described below:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2 is another front elevation view of the tool of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tool of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 4A illustrates the tool of FIG. 1 being used to apply a binding agent.

[0018] FIG. 4B illustrates a close-up, partial cutaway of the tool of FIG. 1 being used to apply a binding agent.

[0019] FIG. 5A is a front view of the tool of FIG. 1 with corner joint in use with a grout line.

[0020] FIG. 5B is a close-up view of the front view of FIG. 5A.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a front view of a tool with a protrusion in use with a grout line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a front-perspective view of the tool of FIG. 6 in use with a corner.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a tool in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates the tool shown in FIG. 8 in use with panels of an enclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a further embodiment.

[0026] Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in or are apparent from the following description. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] For the sake of clarity, not all reference numerals are necessarily present in each drawing Figure. In addition, positional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” etc. refer to the tool when in the orientation shown in the drawings. The skilled artisan will recognize that the tool can assume different orientations when in use.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1-9, a tool 10 comprises a body 12. The body 12 may be integrally formed. The body 12 may be constructed of any suitable material(s), such as a metal, an alloy, a polymer, or silicone. The body 12 may be rigid.

[0029] The body 12 includes a front surface 14 and a rear surface 16. The front surface 14 and the rear surface 16 may be disposed on the body 12 such that they face opposite directions. The front surface 14 and the rear surface 16 may be substantially planar or planar (i.e., flat) and in parallel planes to one another. The body 12 may include a plurality of edges 18 circumferentially extending around the body 12. The plurality of edges 18 may each define a junction 20 between the front surface 14 and the rear surface 16. In this way, the junction 20 defines the portion of the body 12 where the front surface 14 joins the rear surface 16. The one or more of the plurality of edges 18 may taper inwardly (i.e., inwardly from the front and rear surfaces 14, 16) as the edges extend away from the body 12.

[0030] The plurality of edges 18 may include a first edge 22 comprising a plurality of teeth 24 extending away from the body 12. The plurality of teeth 24 is useful for applying a binding agent 26 to a surface 28. The binding agent 26 may be any suitable binding agent 26 for adhering a material 29, such as a tile, wall panel, or floor panel, to the surface 28, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Exemplary binding agents 26 include adhesive, concrete, cement, thinset mortar, polymer-modified mortars, dry-set (unmodified) mortars, glue, and the like. The surface 28 may be any suitable surface, such as a concrete surface, a cement board surface, a plywood surface, a drywall surface, a hardwood surface, a particleboard surface, etc.

[0031] The plurality of teeth 24 may comprise a flat face 30 disposed on each tooth 24 oppositely from the body 12. The flat faces 30 may be in a plane that is parallel to a plane of the first edge 22 (i.e., the flat faces 30 and the first edge 22 may be parallel to one another). A recess 32 may be formed between each tooth 24. The recess 32 may have any suitable profile, such as a V-shaped profile (as shown in, for example, FIG. 5A), a modified V-shape (as shown in, for example, FIG. 1), or a U-shaped profile (not shown). When the binding agent 26 is applied to the surface 28, such as with the tool 10, the first edge 22 and the plurality of teeth 24 may be used to spread and distribute the binding agent 26. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the teeth 24 may be drawn along the surface 28 and/or the binding agent 26 disposed on the surface 28 such that the teeth 24 displace the binding agent 26 and guide the binding agent 26 through the recesses 32. In this way, the applied or distributed binding agent 26 is formed in parallel grooves 34 along a line, with each groove 34 or line having a profile that is cooperatively shaped to the profile of the tooth 24 that formed the groove 34.

[0032] Advantageously, the flat faces 30 disposed on the teeth 24 enable the user to more easily keep the tool 10 orthogonal (i.e., the planes of the front and rear surfaces 14, 16) to the surface 28 while the plurality of teeth 24 are being used to spread or apply the binding agent 26. In this manner, the flat faces 30 allow for a more consistent application of the binding agent 26, as tilting of the tool 10 during this process leads to uneven application of the binding agent 26. For example, when the tool 10 is tilted out of an orthogonal orientation with the surface 28, less binding agent 28 is applied.

[0033] The plurality of teeth 24 may inwardly taper as the teeth 24 extend away from the body 12. Specifically, the plurality of teeth 24 comprises inwardly sloping sides 36 as the teeth 24 extend from the body 12 to the flat face 30 to form the recesses 32. The plurality of teeth 24 may comprise a front tooth surface 38 and a rear tooth surface 40, each of the front and rear tooth surfaces 38, 40 being generally concave in profile. In other words, the front and rear tooth surfaces 38, 40 may taper inwardly between the flat face 30 and the first edge 22. Beneficially, this concave profile of the front and rear tooth surfaces 38, 40 (depending on the orientation of the tool 10 when in-use) guides the binding agent 26 to the recesses 32 to cause an even application of the binding agent 26.

[0034] The plurality of edges 18 may comprise a second edge 42. The second edge 42 may be horizontal. A rounded first corner 44 may be circumferentially disposed on the tool 10 between the second edge 42 and the one of the plurality of edges 18. The rounded first corner 44 may define a corner angle 46 of less than 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 8. The corner angle 46 may be between 85 degrees and 89.5 degrees. The corner angle 46 may be 89 degrees. Beneficially, by having a corner angle 46 of less than 90 degrees, the tool 10 more easily fits with, and can be more versatilely used in, corners 48 of materials 29, such as the corners formed between panels of an enclosure.

[0035] One of the plurality of edges 18 may comprise a protrusion 50. The protrusion 50 may be disposed on, for example, the second edge 42 or a third edge 52. The protrusion 50 may be located in any lateral position along the edge 18 on which it is disposed. In some embodiments of the tool 10, the protrusion 50 is positioned centrally laterally along the edge 18. The protrusion 50 may be dimensioned to be received in a filler line 54 (such as a grout line) between adjacent materials 29, such as tiles, simulated tiles, or wall panels, as shown in FIG. 6. The protrusion 50 may have a rounded profile. Advantageously, the protrusion 50 enables filler (e.g., grout, silicone, caulk) to be applied between adjacent materials 29 in a plane, as the protrusion 50 enables a proper amount, and profile, of filler to be applied in adjacent materials 29.

[0036] The body 12 may comprise a second rounded corner 56 and a third rounded corner 58. The rounded corners 44, 56, 58 each may have a radius of from 2 mm to 8 mm. In some embodiments, one of the rounded corners 44, 56, 58 has a first corner radius and another one of the rounded corners 44, 56, 58 has a second corner radius that is different than the first corner radius. By way of example, the first corner radius may be 5 mm, and the second corner radius may be 6 mm. Advantageously, the different corner radii enable the tool 10 to be more widely used between adjacent materials 29 or apply more or less filler or binding agent 26 in the corner 48 therebetween, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0037] The tool 10, via the edges 18 (e.g., horizontal second edge 42), may be used for scraping the binding agent 26 and/or filler from the surface of the material 29. The tool 10 may comprise or exclude any one or more of the foregoing features.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 9, a bead of the filler, such as silicone, may be applied along corner joints of panels. An exemplary method of applying the filler along joints is to adhere painters tape or masking tape to either side of the joints of the panels to avoid excessive filler on the panels and then apply a generous amount of the filler along the joint, such as with a caulk gun. Then, starting at the top of the joint, the tool 10 may be downwardly moved along the joint while maintaining an orientation that is generally orthogonal to the panels to remove excess filler from the corner joint, as depicted in enlarged A.sub.2. Specifically, one of the rounded corners 44, 56, 58 may be used to remove excess filler from the corner joint. The user may select the rounded corner 44, 56, 58 having a geometry (such as radius and angle) that has a profile that has the best cooperative or complementary fit with the corner joint. The ability to choose which rounded corner 44, 56, 58 to use is highly advantageous, as often installed panels having corner joints that differ in profile due to imperfections in structure walls, structure settling, or structure construction that has imperfectly square walls.

[0039] A bead of filler may be applied along adjoining panels in the same (including substantially the same) plane on a wall of a structure. Then, starting at one side of the joint, the tool 10 may be moved (as shown, laterally) along the joint while maintaining an orientation that is generally orthogonal to the panels to remove excess filler from the joint, as depicted in enlarged A.sub.3. The protrusion 50, which may have a profile that is complementary to the joint, modulates the amount and shape of filler in the joint for evenness in amount and/or shape along the joint.

[0040] Although embodiments of the disclosure have been described using specific terms, devices, and methods, such description is for illustrative purposes only. The words are words of description rather than of limitation. It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims. It is further noted that any range provided herein provides support and a basis for any subset within that range. Further embodiments of the disclosure contain combinations, or exclusions, of different embodiments described herein.

[0041] Thus, although there have been described embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful tool, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.