Flat mold for corner-shaped simulated stone products

Abstract

A mold for manufacturing a corner-shaped simulated stone product has a mold cavity configured to imprint a stone texture on at least a first side face and a front face of the corner-shaped product. The mold also provides a back face with a desirable molded interior angle. The mold cavity can have a flexible edge around a perimeter of the mold cavity to impart a textured surface to a second side face of the corner-shaped product.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration showing a partial, cross-sectional, view of one embodiment of a master mold and a production mold.

FIG. 1B is a schematic illustration showing a partial, perspective view, partially in phantom, of a production mold showing: an empty mold cavity; a castable material introduced into another mold cavity; two castable materials introduced into another mold cavity; and, a corner stone product formed from the production mold.

FIG. 2A is a schematic illustration showing a partial, cross-sectional, view of another embodiment of a master mold and a production mold.

FIG. 2B is a schematic illustration showing a partial, perspective view, partially in phantom, of a production mold showing: an empty mold cavity; a castable material introduced into another mold cavity; two castable materials introduced into another mold cavity; and a corner stone product formed from the production mold.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a texturing device for a corner-shaped simulated stone product.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of multiple stones stacked together in a master mold (shown in phantom).

Claims

1. A mold for manufacturing one or more corner-shaped simulated stone products, the corner-shaped product having a textured front face, a back face, opposed end faces, a textured first side face, and a second side face, the mold comprising a flexible layer having one or more corner-shaped mold cavities, the mold cavity having:a bottom configured to imprint a stone texture on the first side face of the corner stone product;an outer sidewall configured to imprint a stone texture on the front face of the corner-shaped stone product; and,an inner sidewall configured to provide the back face of the corner-shaped stone product with a desirable molded interior angle.

2. The mold of claim 1, wherein the mold cavity has a first mold section in communication with a second mold section; the first mold section being oriented at the desired interior angle with respect to the second mold section.

3. The mold of claim 2, wherein the first and second mold sections are in the same planar orientation.

4. The mold of claim 3, wherein the first and second mold sections are oriented at a substantially right angle to the other.

5. The mold of claim 1, wherein the mold cavity further includes a perimeter edge extending inwardly around at least a portion of an upper perimeter of the mold cavity, the perimeter edge configured to imprint a stone texture on at least a portion of the second side face of the corner-shaped stone product.

6. The mold of claim 5, wherein the perimeter edge extends from at least the outer sidewall of the mold cavity.

7. The mold of claim 5, wherein the perimeter edge extends substantially around the perimeter of the mold cavity.

8. The mold of claim 1, wherein at least one mold cavity is configured to imprint a stone texture of two or more adjacently positioned stones, wherein the corner-shaped simulated stone product has a look of a stack of corner-shaped stones.

9. A corner-shaped simulated stone product comprising a cured castable material, the corner-shaped simulated stone product having a textured front face, a textured first side face, opposing textured end faces, a second side face, and a back face having a desired molded interior angle.

10. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 9, wherein the corner-shaped product has a first section in communication with a second section; the first section being oriented at the desired interior angle with respect to the second section.

11. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 9, wherein the first and second sections are oriented in the same planar orientation.

12. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 9, wherein the first and second sections are oriented at a substantially right angle to each other.

13. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 9, comprising a first castable material, and a second, substantially aggregate-free castable material, wherein the second side face substantially comprises the second, substantially aggregate-free castable material.

14. A corner-shaped simulated stone product comprising a cured castable material having a textured front face, a textured first side face, textured ends, a second side face having at least a partially textured surface, and a back face having a desirable molded interior angle.

15. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the partially textured surface of the second side face extends around at least a portion of a perimeter of the second side face.

16. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the partially textured surface of the second side face is adjacent the front face.

17. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the partially textured surface of the second side face extends substantially around the perimeter of the second side face.

18. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the corner-shaped product has a first section in communication with a second section; the first section being oriented at the desired interior angle with respect to the second section.

19. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the first and second sections are oriented in the same planar orientation.

20. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, wherein the first and second sections are oriented at a substantially right angle to the other.

21. The corner-shaped simulated stone product of claim 14, comprising a first castable material, and a second, substantially aggregate-free castable material.

22. A method of manufacturing one or more corner-shaped simulated stone products, the corner-shaped product having a textured front face, a back face, opposed end faces, a textured first side face, and a second side face, the method comprising: a) introducing a castable material into a flexible layer; the flexible layer having: one or more corner-shaped mold cavities, the mold cavity having: a bottom configured to imprint a stone texture on the first side face of the corner-shaped stone product;an outer sidewall configured to imprint a stone texture on the front face of the corner-shaped stone product; and, an inner sidewall configured to provide the back face of the corner-shaped stone product with a desirable molded interior angle;b) allowing the castable material to harden to form the simulated corner-shaped stone product; andc) removing the corner-shaped stone product from the mold cavity.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the flexible layer includes one or more support sections, the method further including substantially restraining the support section; and flexing the flexible layer by applying pressure to the mold cavity.

24. The method of claim 20, further including applying paint on at least the outer sidewall and the bottom of the mold cavity before the cavity is filled with the castable material.

25. The method of claim 22, further including: d) applying paint on an untextured upper, second side face of the castable material after the mold cavity is filled; and,e) vibrating the mold cavity to blend the paint into the second side face of the castable material.

26. The method of claim 22, further including: d) vibrating the mold cavity that is filled with the castable material; and,e) applying paint on the second side face of the castable material.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein, prior to the step a) of introducing the castable material into the mold cavity, the method includes: applying excess paint to at least the bottom of the mold cavity; and after step a),vibrating the mold cavity, whereby at least a portion of the excess paint migrates along the inner and outer sidewalls of the mold cavity and at least a portion of the paint migrates along at least a portion of the second side face of the castable material.

28. The method of claim 22, further wherein step a) includes introducing a first aggregate-containing castable material to at least partially fill the mold cavity, and thereafter introducing a second, substantially aggregate-free castable material onto the first castable material.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the flexible layer comprises one or more mold cavities having an imprinted texture of two or more stacked corner-shaped stones.

30. The method of claim 22, further including imprinting a stone texture on at least a perimeter of the second side face of the corner-shaped simulated stone product.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the mold cavity includes a perimeter edge extending from at least a portion of an upper perimeter of the mold cavity, the perimeter edge configured to imprint the stone texture on at least the perimeter of the second side face of the corner-shaped stone product.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the perimeter edge substantially surrounds the mold cavity.

33. A method for forming a mold for making a corner-shaped simulated stone product, the corner-shaped product having a textured front face, a back face, opposed end faces, a textured first side face, and a second side face, the method comprising: positioning a pedestal on a base;positioning the natural corner-shaped stone on the pedestal; wherein the pedestal has a perimeter that is slightly smaller than at least a portion of a bottom perimeter of the natural stone, and wherein a difference between the perimeter of the pedestal and the bottom perimeter of the natural stone forms a perimeter opening surrounding the pedestal; and,applying at least one flexible layer to a top surface of the natural corner-shaped stone, a top surface of the base, and at least partially in the perimeter opening; wherein the flexible layer forms a perimeter edge of flexible material.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the flexible layer substantially conforms to contours in the stone and substantially fills the perimeter opening surrounding the pedestal.