Patent Application
20220087419
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The disclosure relates to insert device and more particularly pertains to a new insert device for inhibiting a stone countertop from being chipped during a sink installation.
The prior art relates to insert devices including a molding strip that includes a spear that engages a slot in a surface. The prior art discloses a variety of edge moldings that are positionable on an edge of a flat surface. The prior art discloses a pliable mat that is positionable on a floor of a sink or basin. The prior art discloses sink attachment device that fits between a countertop and an under-mount sink. The prior art discloses a gasket for surrounding a sink in a countertop.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a gasket that is comprised of a moldable material to conform to a sink opening in a stone countertop. Additionally, the gasket is comprised of a thermoformable material to precisely conform to the sink opening. The gasket is comprised of a deformable material to inhibit a sink positioned in the sink opening from damaging the stone countertop. A heat source is included for emitting heated air outwardly therefrom. The heat source is in thermal communication with the gasket when the heat source is positioned within a minimum distance from the gasket. In this way the gasket can be thermoformed to facilitate the gasket to be shaped to conform to the sink opening.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The gasket 12 has a first end 20 and a second end 22, and the gasket 12 is elongated between the first end 20 and the second end 22. The gasket 12 has a bend 24 extending between the first end 20 and the second end 22 to define a first portion 26 of the gasket 12 forming an angle with a second portion 28 of the gasket 12. The gasket 12 has a first edge 30 that is associated with the first portion 26 and the gasket 12 has a second edge 32 that is associated with the second portion 28. Moreover, the bend 24 is positioned closer to the first edge 30 than the second edge 32 such that the second portion 28 has a width that is greater than a width of the first portion 26.
The first portion 26 lies on an upper surface 34 of the stone countertop 16. The second portion 28 extends downwardly along a bounding edge 36 of the sink opening 14 in the stone countertop 16. In this way the gasket 12 inhibits the sink 18 from contacting the stone countertop 16 when the sink 18 is installed in the sink opening 14. The gasket 12 can be trimmed to an appropriate length to extend around a perimeter of the sink opening 14. The first portion 26 may have a width of approximately 0.5 inch and the second portion 28 may have a width of approximately 1.0 inch.
A heat source 38 is provided for emitting heated air outwardly therefrom. The heat source 38 is in thermal communication with the gasket 12 when the heat source 38 is positioned within a minimum distance from the gasket 12. In this way the gasket 12 can be thermoformed to facilitate the gasket 12 to be shaped to conform to the sink opening 14. The heat source 38 may be an electric heat gun or other electric heat source 38 that produces heated air with a minimum temperature of 120.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
In use, the gasket 12 is trimmed to the required length and the heat source 38 is used to heat the gasket 12. In this way the gasket 12 can be thermoformed to precisely conform to the sink opening 14 in the stone countertop 16. The gasket 12 inhibits the sink 18 from chipping or otherwise damaging the stone countertop 16 when the sink 18 is being installed. In this way the gasket 12 ensures that costly repairs do not have to be performed on the stone countertop 16 after the sink 18 is installed.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
