Patent Application
20170335575
The present invention relates to a corner protector member for finishing and protecting interior or inside corners in a room and creating a visually pleasing and mechanically strong transition between a first and a second surface forming an inside corner.
In the course of completing interior architectural finishes, such as tiled wall surfaces, it is desirable to achieve seamless finishing of corners. A particular goal of a seamless transition between convergent walls and floors is to render both outside and inside corners protected from physical damage caused by prolonged or repeated contact with moisture, as well as from damage caused by impacts or other causes that could lead to water damage, fungal growth, soiling, embrittlement, peeling or spalling of the wall or floor finish and the respective substrates upon which the interior-facing finish surfaces are applied. Careful finishing of corners can help to minimize costly repairs and repeated cleaning that will follow where corners are not well protected or smoothly finished and properly sealed, in the case of tile or similar wall and floor finishes. The seamless finishing of corners or, insofar as practicable, the creation of smooth or integral transition zones, as in corners created by the convergence of walls and floors covered intile, wood, or a range of other materials, is also desirable to provide a pleasing visual transition from one surface to the next. Within various industries engaged in the manufacture of wall and floor coverings and finishes, within the cabinetry industry, and in a variety of building trades as well as within other service sectors such as the hospitality industry, it is well recognized that various surfaces, and in particular tiled surfaces, especially as found in bathrooms, spas, and swimming pool areas are susceptible to soiling and often costly damage by various physical forces and by repeated contact with moisture in the form of steam, condensate and liquid water, and other fluids. The application of harsh chemicals, such as chlorine and other sanitizers and oxidizers employed in cleaning bathrooms and maintaining pools and spas, commonly lead to failure of surface treatments such as tile and tile grouts and other sealants and fills used in interstices and voids between surface elements and substrates. Integral curves in surfacing materials such as cove base tiles present one solution to creating a smooth transitional zone, but especially in corners, and particularly in inside corner, the installation of such tiles and the associated labor involved in cutting these tiles to fit properly add cost to the finishing of a room and provide no guarantee that moisture and grime will not accumulate. In view of the often inevitable soiling, wear or actual damage to wall and floor surfaces and surface finishes, junctions or convergence points of horizontal and vertical surfaces such as bath countertops, tile joints and floor and ceiling junctions are routinely sealed with grout or similar materials in a manner that permits maintenance of these interstices and joints both for esthetic purposes and to protect the underlying substrate. In many cases, such interstices, voids or joints that would be otherwise filled with standard grouting materials are often instead filled with special permanently elastic grouts or grouts which maintain a substantial degree of plasticity, or similar caulks or other materials which in many cases are more effective at repelling water, and for purposes of maintenance are relatively easily removed and replaced, thus leading to the industry term “maintenance joint” for such areas. Especially in wet or sanitary applications, such as in baths and spas, tile joints and seams filled with highly elastic caulks or sealing agents that have a high degree of elasticity and plasticity are integral parts of any tile installation. Such joints or points of surface convergences with such fill or sealant treatments are commonly found in, but not restricted to the area between a row of tile or tiles, and the hard surface it abuts, for example in an angular relationship, such as surfaces including counters or bathtubs surfaces and the transitional zone between walls and floors and the aforementioned fittings and fixtures. Maintenance and often also expansion-type joints can also be found in inside corners between walls of glass tiles, the grouted joints in interior corners of a shower stall, and in similar settings.
As mentioned, such joints, as well as many other surface finishes and points of surface convergence, are highly prone to soiling, wear, and mildewing among other problems. Even in the case of a readily maintainable joint or juncture where it is not overly difficult to replace stained or deteriorating fill or grout material, especially if this fill has an elastic component or is of sufficient plasticity to be easily removed and replaced, it is generally accepted fills, caulks, sealants and the like must be replaced at significant cost in terms of labor from time to time to address the aforementioned problems. If left untreated, heaving surfaces, peeling surfaces, and chipped or spalled surfaces, not to mention surfaces exposed to mold and other fungal attack could potentially cause deterioration of the underlying substrates, diminished holding capacity of underlay adhesives, and other problems that only become more costly to address later.
The present invention assumes for illustrative purposes an inside or interior corner consisting of a first, a second and a third convergent surface in three planes (e.g., two walls and a countertop, floor, or ceiling). In none of the embodiments set forth below is there any intent to limit the embodiments to a particular first, second and/or third surface. The present invention does not require that this inside or interior corner be equipped with elastic or elastomeric seams, interstices or joints. Similarly, the various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to particular surfaces that at their point of junction meet relative to each other at fixed 90-degree angles; any possible combination of angles or inside corner configuration is contemplated. However, for illustrative purposes, the following description in relevant part assumes such a situation. Moreover, it should be noted that the term “inside” or “interior” in relation to a corner or abutment of horizontal and vertical surfaces is used interchangeably. In connection with the forgoing, it is also understood that the interstices referred to as joints may extend to cover the sharp inside edge formed by the intersection of two surfaces, such as the corner of a masonry unit or the junction between two planes of plaster or any intersection of divergent architectural details.
As set forth above, when tile or any other desired finish for horizontal and vertical surfaces is installed in areas exposed to cleaning agents, high levels of moisture, or repeated physical contact, there exists a significant risk that the surfaces may be marred, be subjected to moisture-related damage, and the like. The present invention seeks to significantly reduce the initial installation cost of protective members for such surfaces, as well as to reduce maintenance costs enabling a simplified, ideally one-time installation of a corner protection or protective member which creates an integrated, seamless transition from wall and counter or wall and floor surfaces or wall and ceiling using a simple, easily installed component. Further, by using a generally design that can be reduced to a member formed from one workpiece blank or molded or otherwise formed as a simple, one-piece member, the invention provides a very adaptable and concurrently visually appealing sealing member in addition to the protective properties possessed, at minimum expense.
Various measures for providing protective sealing and transitional surface to corners s to prevent damage, to restrict water incursion, and to shield adjoining surfaces from the combined effects of moisture, corrosive substances, dirt and mechanical wear or impact have been disclosed. Examples are noted below.
German Patent Application No. DE 20 2005 015 386 U I describes a wedge-like sealing component for application to the interior corners of rooms where walls and ceilings abut each other. A fundamental requirement for the proper application of this device is the insertion or keying of a wedge-shaped component into a receiving component consisting of three interlocking components. A further precondition to the successful installation of this sealing or protective component or set of components is that the assembly must be installed with suitable adhesives or other fixative materials. Take as a whole, this interior corner sealing system is suitable only for applications where a substantial surface area is presented by the abutting horizontal and vertical surfaces. The above-referenced invention's complex assembly requirements, arising out of the fact that four discrete constituent parts must be assembled, necessarily lead to high production and installation costs.
Disclosed in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2008 007 478 A I is a shaped component constructed of plastic material suitable for enclosing edges of convergent horizontal and vertical surfaces such as tiled surfaces. The invention involves a bracket or brackets with integrated projecting lugs arranged so as to be relationally opposed at ninety-degree angles, which are to be anchored behind a surface tile or tiles, such that a rounded frontal portion of the component engages with the visible surface of the tile, forming a border or edge. This invention is suitable only for enclosing or finishing exterior or outside corners.
German Patent Application DE 299 05 821 U I discloses a transitional surface which is integrated into a tile assembly so as to provide corner protection. This invention teaches that the corner protection to be achieved depends upon the component being installed in such a way as to engage behind the tiled surface which it is intended to shield from damage or soiling.
In German Patent Application No. DE 298 20 687 U I, a rail or track is disclosed which is affixed between and to surface tiles and the masonry substrate upon which those tiles are installed. The rail or track features a plurality of opposed brackets, lugs, or similar projections which present a surface with which a mating endplate or similar protective edge engages. A key condition for the successful installation of the invention is, similar to the preceding example, complete embedment of the rail or track behind the finished surface, and in this case also between the masonry substrate and the surface finishing material.
In view of the limitations presented by the aforementioned examples, it is the object of the present invention to offer a protective, transitional finishing architectural feature with inside corner protective properties that creates an easily installable, protective and transitional inside corner finish securable to inside corners that requires no complex anchoring involving additional components associated with the wall substrate or masonry surface.
Another goal achieved by the present invention is simplicity of manufacture and installation, which relates to and derives from the fact that the corner protector member is of very simple construction, presenting a visible face or surface which is oriented to the interior of a room or space, and which features on the rear face, which is oriented towards a confluence of horizontal and vertical surfaces, as in a corner, a surface which seamlessly and in a visually pleasing and mechanically strong and physically durable manner fixably attaches to an inside corner and can be even more firmly anchored to same by means of a pin or barb and where so desired with adhesive or sealing materials.
The present technical disclosure also reveals a further significant advantage in that what is disclosed is a single, in the case of one embodiment, button-shaped and unobtrusive device that easily permits itself to be affixed and positively engaged and firmly locked into an inside corner from the front or visible face or side, seamlessly meeting and mating with the existing wall surfaces and horizontal surfaces, as the case may be.
In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of the corner protector member may range from a diameter of approximately 16.25 millimeters to 24.25 millimeters. It is to be understood that the present invention may be constructed or formed, whether by casting, machining, injection molding, rotational molding, or other method of manufacture, as one piece, or as a single body with a pin or barn which upon assembly may become an integral component, as best seen in the figures which are part of this disclosure, and not as an elongate track or rail or in such a manner as to extend to any significant degree into the interior surfaces of a room or space. Rather, the size of the corner protector member is limited to the space required for finishing the inside corner. Any obtrusive extension into adjacent wall surfaces or significant overlap with abutting wall surfaces is not required to effect a seamless transition and to achieve the desirable results sought in such an installation.
In a preferred embodiment, the corner protector member has a generally triangular pyramidal shape or form, such that it could be compared to the frustum of a cone or a truncated cone, of which the base surface or basal face forms the visible surface or outwardly-oriented surface in relation to the walls of a room, and from which the associated frusta attach to the respective corners of an inside corner, thereby creating a seamless or smoothly-fitting corner which establishes a fluid transition in terms of linear surfaces of, for example, a tiled corner where two walls meet.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, rather than the aforementioned tetragonal shape, a semicircular, lenticular, fillister or ball or spherical form or shape may define at least the front face or base or basal face the corner protector member, which may have emanating from the visible frontal face a preferably conically shaped pin or barb-like component, which similar to the preferred embodiment serves to attached the corner protector member to the inside corner and permits for a seamless and uniform connection to the respective surfaces forming the corner.
Rather than such the completely symmetrical body (which may also be constructed in such a way as to be axially symmetric) form previously described, it is also possible to employ spherical or ball-shaped designs such that the inside corner is not delineated by a lenticular shape or a semicircular or hemispherical shape, but rather by a ball-like shape or curvature, from which extends the aforementioned barb-like portion which affixes to the wall and thus creates a seamless and form-fitting inside corner.
It should of course be understood that the present invention contemplates and extends to a broad range of alternatives in form or shape, or modifications to the triangular pyramidal, truncated conical or frustal design or form.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting and anchoring of the previously described corner protector member in all of the previously described designs or shapes is facilitated by means of a maintenance joint or fillable interstice or caulk or grout joint or line composed of a durable, elastic, plastic material situated in or along the inside corner. The aforementioned maintenance joint or caulked or grouted joint or interstice may further be composed of a durable, elastic plastic material such as silicone caulk or sealing compound, acrylic caulk or sealing compound, a polymer-based caulk or sealing compound, or a caulk or sealing compound based on an expandable foam-like substance such as polyurethane foam.
In the case of the aforementioned embodiment, where a maintenance joint or the like using any of the aforementioned caulking or sealing materials is contemplated, the installation and positive locking or anchoring of the corner protector member is particularly uncomplicated and easily achieved, as it is possible to simply press-fit the inventive corner protective member into caulking or sealing material which is intended to seal the inside corner before this material cures and solidifies, whereupon the inventive device is anchored firmly in place once the sealing or caulking materials has fully “set up” and sufficiently cured.
It is thus obvious that the present invention teaches a corner protector member which creates and achieves a seamless, form-fitting connection to permanently elastic surface joints by way of being installed into of affixed onto such a joint before the joint solidifies. This results in an inside corner which is protected against becoming dirtied, and furthermore achieves the goal of creating a solid corner and corner protector member assembly which cannot be damaged nor fail structurally, and which above all leads to an inside corner which is considerably less labor intensive to clean. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not restricted to applications where it must be employed in combination with a sealant- or caulk-filled maintenance joint in an inside corner or edge at the confluence of vertical and horizontal surfaces.
In yet another embodiment, the maintenance joints are not required, and the corner protective element may be installed or fitted by, for example, the simple application of slight pressure in an existing inside corner wall surfaces composed of wood, synthetic materials such as thermoplastics, natural stone, metal or the like meet. In such an application, featuring these relatively solid materials, the preferred method of anchoring the corner protector member involves a corner protector member formed or otherwise designed and constructed so as to feature at least one center bore, or roughened surfaces, or specifically designed depressions of similar anchoring surfaces into which a curable adhesive or caulking materials may be introduced or onto which such a material may be applied. In this embodiment, the corner protector member is pressed or press-fitted—prior to the curing of the adhesive or caulking or sealant material—into the inside corner, and the adhesive, caulk, or sealant is allowed to cure in place, such that the corner protector member seamlessly integrates into the inside corner, thereby providing the corner against staining, dirt, and damage. It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that the adhesive, caulk or sealant need not necessarily be introduced into the aforementioned center bore on the rear face of the corner protector member.
In still another embodiment, the rear surfaces of the corner protector member, which attach to the inside corner created by the convergence of walls and potentially also horizontal surfaces, may be furnished with roughened surfaces, grooves, lugs or other projections commonly deemed “male” surfaces, or recesses or “female surfaces” or the like, even possibly including barbed hooks or recurved spikes or the like such that the corner protector member can be driven into an inside corner without the need for a an adhesive, caulk or sealing material for purposes of anchoring the corner protector member.
The visible face of the corner protector member disclosed herein may have any of a variety of forms, all of which are considered crucial and are claimed in the present application.
In a first embodiment, the pyramidal base of a tetrahedral body forms the visible face of the corner protector member, and this visible face is smooth and thoroughly level.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the visible face of the corner protector member may take on other designs or forms, such as a cambered or arched, or convex or concave, or any other desired form, shape or design. Not only the visible face of the tetrahedral body may be formed and manufactured according to a variety of designed shapes, but also all other integral sections of the herein claimed corner protector member may take on such other configurations as previously stated, such as a lenticular or fillister head, a semicircular or hemispherical head, or ball head.
As such, it is evident that it is possible that a tetragonal body, along its base face, which in turn is the visible face upon installation, may also be manufactured so as to have a lenticular, button, fillister or ball-shaped head.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the corner protector member is manufactured of a suitable metallic material, particularly, a stainless steel. However, this is in no way to be understood to limit the scope of the present invention. The corner protector member may be composed of any suitable material fit for providing a functional and decorative finish and lining for an inside corner, such as any of various light alloys, plastics, wood, plastic and wood combinations, plastic and metal combinations, and the like.
The determinative factor is that the end result is a fitted, seamless finish achieved in an inside corner which provides the further benefits of a corner protector member permitting easy cleaning of inside corners and protector of the inside corner against damage and soiling.
The following drawings are attached in explanation of the invention, the features of which are referenced within the detailed description of the invention. Note that, although the example sectional shape of the corner protective member for inside corner protector is tetragonal or tetrahedral as illustrated throughout the majority of the following drawings, the shape may be of any practicable multi-sided geometry. In order to better understand the drawings, the following legend is provided:
Depicted for purposes of illustration is the wall of a sanitary architectural installation, for example a bathroom, which features a vertical interstice, seam or joint 4 and two horizontal, angularly intersecting vertical walls, each of which feature a similar interstice, seam or joint 5, 6 and all of which converge at an inside corner 7, where the inventive corner protective member device is mounted or otherwise affixed to the interstices, seams or joints 4-6, and where the inventive corner protective member has been fitted by the application of pressure into as-yet uncured adhesive, caulk or sealant emplaced in or filling interstices, seams or joints 4-6, such that fully seamless, flush, and integral transition regions or transition zones 8 result between the visible face of the corner protector member 1 and the adjacent or adjoining surfaces of the interstices, seams or joints 4-6.
The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-referenced method of anchoring the corner protector member. For example, rather than a permanently elastic interstice, seam or joint which is maintainable and of which the sealing or caulking material may be readily replaced, other types of interstices, seams or joints may be employed, such as flexible or expansion joint-type interstices, seams or joints, which interrupt otherwise seamless or otherwise uniform surface finishes or assemblies such as tiled surfaces so as to prevent stress fractures from forming. All such interstices, seams or joints are suited to receive the corner protector member to result in a finished inside corner.
It is important to note that the transition regions or transition zones 8 as depicted in
In view of the above, it follows from
It is to be appreciated that as an alternative to the use of physical force to install or fit the corner protector element to an inside corner 7, an adhesive may also be used to achieve the same results. In such applications, it is desirable to manufacture the corner protector member, which is this embodiment has faces 12 generally tetrahedral 12 in terms of shape, as can be seen in
In a further embodiment of the invention, it is possible that the central bore 13, optimally manufactured as a threaded recess, depicted in
the visible face 9 features adjoining equilateral or symmetrical side surfaces 10 which are beveled or slanted towards the center of the corner protector member and which in turn feature diminishing edges or vanishing edges which via mating faces or connecting faces 11 are effectively bridged.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the generally tetragonal and symmetrical body 12 may in terms of design and intended purpose as a corner protector element 1 also be manufactured with asymmetrical or unlike surfaces 10. This would result in an asymmetrical tetragonal body, among the other shapes, designs and forms contemplated by the present invention.
It is important to note that the rear-facing apex of the corner protector member, were it to be represented as a full tetragonal structure complete with fully terminal angles or corners or apexes, is essentially lacking, and that where essentially a frustum would result, the aforementioned central bore 13 is found, with the central bore, which may be unthreaded, descending to a suitable given depth in the core of the body of the corner protector member. The central bore in this case may be viewed as a production aid in that a material blank used in the course of the production of the corner protector member may be simply affixed to a jig, receiving clamp or the like or pin received by the bore, and the workpiece blank thereby safely and easily machined or otherwise processed and formed to achieve the desired shape and configuration.
A second advantage of the central bore is that when the central bore 13 is provided with a thread by, for example, manually or otherwise tapping the central bore, it becomes possible to insert a threaded bolt, the thread of which may be made to project from the main body or from the apex. This makes it possible to fit a corner protector member so equipped with a threadably inserted or adhesively-secured tip into an otherwise empty inside corner 7 and anchor it firmly.
The above also applies in the case of a spherically-shaped or spheroidal member according to
Initially it should be obvious from the figures thus presented that the corners or edges of the tetrahedron or tetragonal form are flattened to form beveled corners 24 to result in and achieve a more positive and more flowing and seamless integration with the adjoining surfaces of the interstices of joints 4-6 or the wall or other room surfaces 2, 3.
In a modification of this form,
As can be seen in
A further embodiment is depicted in
It is obvious and will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various designs depicted do not necessarily show that the visible face 9 of the tetragonal body 12 may also be hemispherical, ball-like, cambered or curved, or formed in any number of other configurations or forms. The present invention is also not intended to be limited to the various designs or forms presented and disclosed herein.
While specific embodiments have been set forth and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various adaptations are possible, and that this disclosure is intended to cover adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The aforementioned embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Combination of the above elements, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled the art upon a review of foregoing description. The scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure includes other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the full range of their legal equivalents.
In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for purposes of presenting the disclosure in a compact manner. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure must necessarily employ more features than expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
This application is a continuation in part and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/398,615 filed on Feb. 16, 2012, which claims the benefit of priority from German patent application DE 10 2011012 678.3 filed on Mar. 1, 2011. Each of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if set forth herein in full. This is a substitute specification which includes no new matter.
