Patent Application
20070107336
This invention relates to wallboard comer bead and particularly to a wallboard corner bead employing a reinforcing member.
Wallboard corner beads which are suitable for use on inside or outside corners are known. However, prior art beads are insufficient in that they do not provide enough protection from being damaged by objects that strike them when they are installed. This is a common, even frequent, occurrence when the corner bead is installed on an exterior surface where it is likely to be struck by servicemen using dollies and other equipment, children and their toys, or careless walkers-by. Moreover, in arch applications, it is common to get flat spots in the arch due the irregular nature of prior art arch beads. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a corner bead having improved strength and resiliency.
The present invention comprises a corner bead for joining adjacent pieces of wallboard comprising an arched center section having a pair of wing sections attached thereto. The arched center section extends outwardly above planes defined by the wing sections, and the wings and arched center section define an interior surface which is placed adjacent the wallboard and an exterior surface which is placed opposite the wallboard. A reinforcing member is disposed adjacent the interior surface of the arched center section and attached thereto to provide rigidity to the arched center section.
In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numbers and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur
The preferred form of the invention is shown in
A reinforcing member 16 is provided in the general area of a pocket 18 formed by the arched center section 11. The reinforcing member 16 is preferably a tempered wire placed in a bed of adhesive or hot melt glue or thermoplastic 17 in the arched center section 11 and maintained in placed with an adhesive. The reinforcing member 16 can be applied by either applying a first coat of adhesive 17 to the pocket 18, inserting the reinforcing member 16 and covering the wire with a second coat of adhesive 17 over the top of reinforcing member or merely applying the adhesive 17 to the pocket 18 and embedding the reinforcing member 16 in the adhesive 17. The corner bead 10 is applied to a wall in the same manner as corner bead of the prior art. Specifically, a coating 20 of drywall compound is applied to the wallboard A to provide adhesion between the corner bead 10 and the comer is applied to the wallboard A. Next, skim coat 22 of drywall compound is applied over the corner bead 10 and the corner bead is feathered into the wallboard with a coating 24 as a single process. Sanding and finish coats of drywall compound provide a smooth surface. Once the corner bead 10 is applied to the wallboard A, the tempered wire 16 provides rigidity, strength and resiliency. It will also form an even and consistent arch without flat spots.
Alternatively, the reinforcing member 16 may comprise a polyamide hot melt glue as shown in
Preferably, though not required, adhered to the corner bead are a plurality of discrete fibers, as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,027, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The fibers are known as floc and can be Nylon, rayon, Dacron, polyester, cotton or other cellulose, or other similar fibers or combinations of fibers. The fibers have a diameter of about 1-3 Tow deniers, but larger or smaller sizes will work. The preferred lengths of fibers are about 0.005 to about 0.030 inches. Those parameters are preferred because when the coated corner bead is applied to a wall joint and only the corner bead edge is skim coated, the uncoated surfaces can be painted as a finished wall. The preferred size fibers are small enough to lay down when painted so the paint will create a smooth finished surface. Larger sized fibers do not give the desired smooth, painted surface.
The previously described embodiment is used when the wallboard meets along a generally straight line. However, where archways are employed or other nonlinear junctions of wallboard of
The notches 32 in each depending wing 14 and 15 are staggered so that the apex of a notch 32 on wing 14 is aligned with approximately the center of the triangularly shaped solid member 15a of the opposed wing 15. Thus the wings 14 and 15 are formed of a continuous series of triangularly shaped pieces 14a, 15a. At the point on the triangular pieces 14a, 15a which is most remote from the center section 11 and along the outer edges of the corner bead 10 are releasable and removable tear strips 36 and 38. The purpose for the tear strips 36 and 38 is to allow the notches 32 to separate when the comer bead 10 is applied to an arched or rounded opening or comer as shown in
Just as in the first embodiment, a reinforcing member 16 comprising tempered wire is placed in the arched center section 11 and maintained in placed with an adhesive that encapsulates the wire. Alternatively, the reinforcing member 16 may comprise a polyamide hot melt glue as in the first embodiment.
This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.
