Patent Application
20080098688
This invention relates to devices that customize the appearance of objects, more particularly, a trowel and roller that permit a person to quickly add decorative and aesthetically pleasing elements to window and/or door surrounds.
Window surrounds, which are also known as plantons and window trims, and door surrounds are popular additions to homes and other buildings as they provide a decorative finish to frame a window or door. Window and/or door surrounds may be made of various materials, such as stucco, concrete, mortar and even foam. The window and/or door surrounds surround the perimeter of a window or door located on a building so as to give a more decorative element to the window and/or door.
The most popular method of creating window and/or door surrounds is by using foam. The foam is cut at a predetermined length and secured to the building around the window and/or door. However, the use of foam for window and/or door surrounds is problematic as the foam can become easily damaged during strong weather and even from birds, especially woodpeckers which can easily peck holes in the foam. Thus, the popularity of window and/or door surrounds made of mortar or stucco is growing rapidly.
To create window and/or door surrounds made of mortar or stucco, which are also known as stucco bands, the mortar or stucco is poured into a channel of a grid. When the mortar or stucco is almost dry, a person then smooths the mortar or stucco so as to remove excess mortar or stucco from the channel using a straight edge. Thus, when the mortar or stucco is dry, the window and/or door surrounds are planar, flush and flat in appearance and a stronger, more durable window and/or door surround is created.
Although the window and/or door surrounds are attractive in appearance as they frame a window and/or door, some property owners prefer to have a more distinctive, unique design to the window and/or door surrounds rather than a plain, flat window and/or door surround.
Thus, a need exists for devices that permit a person to customize window and/or door surrounds quickly and easily to create a unique design on the window and/or door surround.
The relevant prior art includes the following references:
The primary object of the present invention is to provide devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds that are easy to use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds that are versatile.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds that are easily transportable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds that are compact.
A further object of the present invention is to provide devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds that add decorative elements to window and/or door surrounds quickly.
The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing devices for customizing window and/or door surrounds wherein a trowel having a predetermined profile and a roller having predetermined designs or patterns are used. The trowel includes a first and second edge for placement of the trowel against the grid edges and predetermined profile located between the trowel edges. The profile may be convex, concave or of any other shape. The roller includes a handle and a head wherein the head includes a predetermined design located thereon.
To use the devices, a person first pours mortar or stucco into a channel of a grid as if creating a traditional window and/or door surround. Then, when the mortar or stucco is almost dry, a user then smooths the mortar or stucco using the trowel of the present invention by placing the profile within the channel with the edges on the grid. Then, the user gently moves the trowel through the channel so as to remove excess mortar or stucco from the channel. Because the trowel of the present invention has a profile that it not straight, a surround having a corresponding shape to the profile is created. In addition, the roller of the present invention may also be used at this time to add a decorative element to the surround. Thus, when the mortar or stucco is dry, the window and/or door surrounds are decorative and distinctive from the traditional, plain, flat surrounds currently created in the prior art.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.
In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:
For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:
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The use of the present invention will allow a person to quickly and easily create decorative and unique surrounds for windows and doors.
It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings.
