Patent Application
20120055036
When applying coverings or coatings, such as paint, to a wall it is usually desirable for transitions from one covering type or color to a different covering type or color to occur at a uniform boundary, such as a straight line. Various tools have been devised for marking such boundaries. Chalk lines and laser projectors are examples of devices that can be used to mark straight lines on walls or other surfaces.
In modern construction, rounded corners are often employed where one wall meets another and/or in recessed ceilings. Rounded corners are achieved using bullnose corner beads of various radii. While rounded corners are aesthetically pleasing, drawing a straight line on the rounded corner to separate surfaces to be colored, or otherwise finished, differently can be difficult. A laser tool can be used to project a straight line on a surface in some cases, but a laser tool can be expensive and may require expertise that many users (e.g., homeowners) lack. Tape can be used to separate two colors but without a straight reference for applying the tape, taping may result in crooked and unsightly paint lines. Thus, there exists a need for improved tools and methods for providing uniform wall markings.
An apparatus and method for surface marking along an outside corner. In one embodiment, a marking tool includes a base portion and a marker retention portion. The base portion includes a first end and a second end along a longitudinal axis of the tool. The base portion includes a base surface along the longitudinal axis. The base surface is configured to movingly engage a first surface. The marker retention portion extends from the first end of the base portion. The marker retention portion is configured to retain a marking device and to position a marking face of the marking device to engage a second surface that intersects the first surface at an outside corner.
In another embodiment, a method for marking a surface around an outside corner includes engaging a base portion of a tool with a surface of a first wall. A marking face of the tool is engaged with a surface of a second wall connected to the first wall at the outside corner. The tool is moved along the outside corner while maintaining the engaging with the surface of the first and second walls. The marker retention portion of the tool laterally extends from a first end of a base portion of the tool. The marking face of the marker extends towards a second end of the base portion of the tool longitudinally disposed from the first end.
In a further embodiment, a tool for around-corner marking includes a handle and a marker retention member. The handle has a surface configured to engage a first wall forming the corner. The marker retention member extends laterally from a first end of the handle. The marker retention member is configured to position a marking implement against a second wall forming the corner. The first and second walls form a reflex angle at the corner.
For a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.
The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.
Separating areas of different wall coloring and/or other surface treatment at a straight line can be difficult, and especially so at rounded corners. Embodiments of the present disclosure allow a reference line to be drawn on a first surface at a uniform distance from a second surface, thereby producing a reference line having uniform distance from an outside corner.
The marker retention portion 204 extends from the base portion 202. In some embodiments, the marker retention portion 204 extends from the first end 222 (e.g., a proximal end) of the base portion 202. In some embodiments, the marker retention portion 204 extends generally perpendicularly from the base portion 202. The marker retention portion 204 of the tool 100 is configured to hold a marking device 110. The marking device 110 may be a pencil, a pen, a paint applicator, or any other device or implement suitable for marking on a surface. The marker retention portion 204 is configured to hold the marking device 110 such that a marking face 216 (e.g., a tip or end) of the marking device 110 extends towards the second end 220 (e.g., a distal end) of the base portion 202, thereby allowing the marking device 110 to place a mark, referenced to the first surface, on a second surface when the first and second surfaces intersect at a reflex angle, such as at the outside corner 106.
In the embodiment of
Other embodiments may be dimensioned differently. For example the passage 212 may be approximately 19/64 inches in diameter, or may have another diameter suitable to retain the drawing device 110.
In some embodiments of the tool 100, the exemplary dimensions may include:
As mentioned above, the base surface 108 may be curved to allow the tool 100 to be tilted. By tilting the tool 100 (i.e. changing the pitch of the tool 100 relative to the first surface), the distance between the first surface and the marking face 216 can be adjusted. Thus, the curved surface 108 allows the distance between the first surface and a reference mark drawn on a second surface to be changed by tilting the tool 100.
In some embodiments of the tool 500, the base surface 108 may be flat and of sufficient width to inhibit tilting of the tool 500 as the tool is moved along the surface 102, thereby facilitating tool stability and provision of a mark consistently spaced from the surface 102. Similarly, some embodiments may include rollers disposed to laterally stabilize the tool 500.
In block 602, a marker 110 is affixed to the tool 100. The marker 110 may be a pencil, a pen, a paint applicator, a pencil lead, etc. The marker may be affixed to the tool by various means, for example, by clamping, a set screw, or other means known in the art.
In block 604, the extension and/or the angle of the retainer 502 is adjusted relative to the body portion 202. The adjustment positions the marking device 110 relative to the body portion 202 to place a mark on the surface 104 at a desired offset from the surface 102. The extension and/or angle adjustment may be accomplished by loosening the set screw 504, repositioning the retaining member 508, and tightening the set screw 504, or by other means of changing the position of the retainer 502 relative to the body portion 202 known in the art.
In block 606, base surface 108 of the tool 100 engages the surface 102. The base surface 108 may be flat, curved or rounded, and/or may include rollers 402. The marker 110 engages the surface 104 in block 608.
In block 610, the tool 100 is moved longitudinally along the outside corner 106 as the base surface 108 engages the surface 102 and the marker 110 engages the surface 104. As the tool 100 moves along the corner 106, the marker 110 places a mark 112 on the surface 104 in block 612. The mark 112 is substantially equidistant from the surface 102 over the extent of the movement of the tool 100.
The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. For example, various features shown in the tools 100, 300, 400, and 500 are interworkable and can be integrated in embodiments of the marking tool 100 as desired. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/379,657, filed on Sep. 2, 2010; which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61379657 | Sep 2010 | US |
