Patent Application
20160207218
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wall structures, and in particular, baseboards or wall bases. The invention relates more specifically to a method for cutting a pattern along the top edge of a baseboard. This method substantially improves the appearance of baseboard by cutting a pattern containing hearts, waves, animals, and others, along the top edge of the baseboard so as to complement the decor of the room.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many individuals derive a sense of pride when utilizing baseboards as part of the decor of a room within their home. Baseboards serve multiple purposes when added to a room. First baseboards disguise or conceal imperfections at the junction of the flooring and the upstanding walls of the room. Second baseboards protect the lower portion of the wall from impact by furniture, shoes, and appliances such as vacuums or carpet cleaners. Third the installation of baseboards within a room provide that room with a finished look as edges are softened. Finally, the most important purpose of a baseboard is to add to the room's decor.
Baseboards come in a variety of different decorative effects however the means of applying a decorative effect to a baseboard comprised of wood or wood fibers are basically limited to two approaches.
The first approach is to use a baseboard with multiple components. The key component is a generic baseboard with certain features, such as cutouts, that allow for the addition of other components that provide the decorative effect. US patent publication 2005/0257485 teaches a baseboard with a decorative front surface that also contains a horizontal groove for accepting a decorative filler strip of different sizes and shapes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,474 teaches a baseboard with a front surface that may accommodate one or more interchangeable decorative modules. However these approaches do not teach a means to decorate the top edge of a baseboard and as such the top edge of the baseboard as taught remains a simple linear surface.
The second approach makes use of wood molding machinery that applies a decorative pattern to the front of a baseboard by pressing the pattern onto the front surface of the baseboard. International patent publication WO 98/48992 teaches a means whereby wood fiber boards, known in the art as medium density fiberboard or MDF, are taken through a process whereby they are softened by a combination of heat and moisture and then passed into a molding chamber where a decorative pattern is pressed onto the front surface of the MDF and then subsequently the MDF is cut into strips according to the boundaries of the pressed decorative patterns. U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,686 teaches a process similar to that described by WO 98/48992 and adds to it additional layers of material to the base material comprised of MDF, such as a veneer layer of a wood product, that are bonded together by a pressing operation. However these approaches do not teach a method to decorate to top edge of a baseboard with a pattern and as such the top edge of the baseboard as taught remains a simple linear surface.
The approaches described above teach how to apply a decorative pattern to the front surface of a baseboard but do not teach how to apply a decorative pattern to the top edge of a baseboard. Although baseboards with a decorative front surface are commonly used to finish a room it may be desirable install baseboards with a decorative top edge containing patterns of hearts, waves, or animals. However a method to fabricate a baseboard with a decorative top edge has not been disclosed by the prior art.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for applying a decorative pattern to the top edge of multiple baseboards that may be formed from a single sheet of MDF that is typically 4 feet by 8 feet and ½ to ¾ inches thick.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method for machining a decorative pattern to the top edge of a baseboard that may be formed from a board natural wood that is typically 6 inches by 8 feet and ½ to ¾ inches thick.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manually applying and cutting a decorative pattern to the top edge of a baseboard using a woodworking router.
The present invention discloses various method embodiments for applying a decorative pattern along the top edge of a baseboard that was lacking in the prior art.
In the preferred embodiment the decorative patterns will first be designed using Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) software. The design will be such that the patterns will repeat on the boundary of the wood material that is to be used in fabricating the baseboard so that when the individual baseboards are joined end to end the decorative pattern will not be interrupted. Once the design has been completed the CAD file will need to be converted into a format that is readable by a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) wood router machine hereafter referred to simply as a CNC machine. A CNC machine contains a larger flat surface, hereafter referred to as the table, whereon the wood material to be cut is placed, a means for securing the wood on the table, a moveable head containing a cutting tool that operates in three axises over the flat surface and engages the cutting tool with the wood material, and a computer that reads a computer file containing a set of programming instructions for the movement and travel speed of the head along any of the three axises: length, width, and height; the selection of the cutting tool to be used on the wood material; and the rotational speed of the cutting tool mounted to the head. A sheet of the wood material to be cut upon by the CNC machine is then placed on the flat surface of the CNC machine and secured either by a vacuum seal or by rollers that pin the wood material to the flat surface where it may be operably engaged by the cutting tool. The CAD converted file containing the programming instructions that are readable by the CNC machine is then read by the CNC machine whereupon the pattern depicted in the CAD file is cut onto the wood material forming one or more baseboards with a decorative pattern present along its top edge.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Neither this summary nor the following detailed description defines or limits the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following descriptions of the embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
An operator of CNC machine 10 typically would first load numeric controller 28 with the desired set of instructions, then place the sheet of wood material to be cut according to the loaded instructions on table 12, adjust vacuum valves 16 as required by the size of the sheet of wood material, engage vacuum pump 14 so as to secure the wood material being worked on, and finally activate numeric controller 28 to initiate the execution of previously loaded set of instructions. Numeric controller 28 will then activate the various motors to move router 26 to the desired location, and appropriately energize router 26 to commence the cutting operations contained in the instructions.
An operator of CNC machine 30 typically would first load numeric controller 42 with the desired set of instructions, then place the sheet of wood material to be cut according to the loaded instructions on table 32, adjust hold down rollers 34 as required by the size of the sheet of wood material so as to secure the wood material being worked on, and finally activate numeric controller 42 to initiate the execution of the previously loaded set of instructions. Numeric controller 42 will then activate the various motors to move router 40 to the desired location, and appropriately energize router 40 to commence the cutting operations contained in the instructions.
Since G-Codes are difficult to program and require skills that are beyond those skills necessary to create CAD files the preferred embodiment shown in
Although embodiment 70 requires the skills of a CNC machinist who is versant in G-Code there is the advantage of a greater level of control over the G-Code that is loaded into the numeric controller. In embodiment 50 the G-Code is created by a software application that understands the structure of a CAD file and can properly create the G-Code that implements the design contained in the CAD file. As such embodiment 50 is bounded by any inefficiencies in the G-Code that is created in step 56. In embodiment 70 the machinist may overcome any inefficiencies when creating the G-Code. As a result the cutting of baseboards in embodiment 70 may take less time than the cutting of baseboards in embodiment 50.
Embodiment 90 has certain advantages and disadvantages over embodiments 50 and 70. The primary advantage is that embodiment 90 does not use a CNC machine in any of its steps and as such it is a less expensive to implement than embodiments 50 and 70. Another advantage is that it allows baseboards with a decorative top edge to be created outside the presence of CNC machines in situations where only a few additional baseboards are required to complete the job.
The previous descriptions of the various embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. The various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments discussed herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
