Patent Grant
12054953
This invention relates generally to drywall construction and, in particular, a gripping cornerbead.
Traditional cornerbead is structural strip which is fastened to corners where edges of drywall meet forming a surface transition between two different planar wall surfaces. Once installed the peak of the cornerbead trim provides a straight smooth guide for tradesman to float trowel over leveling drywall mud blending into continuous wall surface with a strong corner backing structure resisting dings, and chipping. The method of attaching the trim to the corner has evolved over time from nails and screws to staples and drywall mud.
Drywall is formed of sheets of plaster which are enclosed in an outer wrapping of heavy construction paper. When the drywall is attached to a wall, the joint between adjacent sheets of drywall is usually covered by a paper tape extending along the joint. The tape is then covered with wet plaster or mud. The plaster is smoothed along the edges of the tape to conceal the tape edges and form a smooth surface. The corners of the drywall often require cutting which can expose the plaster between the heavy paper sheets. The exposed plaster tends to chip or crumble unless these edges are protected.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a cornerbead for drywall construction is provided having an elongated strip with a longitudinal nose (which may be a longitudinal arcuate nose) bent at a substantially right angle and having a left side and a right side extending outwardly from the longitudinal arcuate nose; at least one raised portion extending the length of the left side; and at least one raised portion extending the length of the right side.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present disclosure.
With reference to
The additional longitudinal features or 3D features onto the legs of cornerbead profile increase the flexural modulus. Features can be concave or convex and vary in height. There may be any combination of shapes and concave or convex raised portions. For example, the left side may have one convex rectangular raised portion and one concave triangular raised portion and the right side may be three concave rounded shaped portions. The 3D form also improves shear strength of adhesives applied by increasing the surface area as well as resistance to mechanical shear. The 3D features effectively increase the depth of section resulting in increased resistance to plastic deformation.
As part of product manufacturing process, additional features may be installed onto the back (or wall side) of cornerbead base material which mechanically adheres or attaches to the wall via deformed projections and/or adhesive. For configuration which includes raised or deformed features the trims could be installed with tapping mallet, or a V-shaped roller that pushes the features through the surface paper on drywall and hooks or locks trim onto corner. The spring tension resulting from the shape of the cornerbead trim can help hold tension against the perforated edge of the drywall paper surface. Adhesive type could be pre applied or site applied alternative to mud compound significantly reducing the installation time waiting for water-based drywall mud to cure. Adhesive compound could be chemical, hot melt, RTV, or UV cure single part or two-part systems. The adhesive would typically be a thin layer applied to the backside (10) of the elongated strip. The adhesive layer may be in communication with at least a portion of the right side, left side and longitudinal arcuate nose.
The described embodiments of the invention are intended to be exemplary and numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only, and is not to be taken by way of limitation. It is appreciated that various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. It is appreciated that the particular embodiment described in the specification is intended only to provide an extremely detailed disclosure of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting.
Modifications of the above disclosed apparatus and methods which fall within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, while the present invention has been disclosed in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application 63/232,246 filed Aug. 12, 2021 and hereby incorporates that application by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230046540 A1 | Feb 2023 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63232246 | Aug 2021 | US |
