Patent Application
20170232467
The present invention is broadly concerned with improvements in equipment for certain kinds of masonry work and, more particularly, to apparatus for efficiently applying grout or cement to a pattern of construction elements such as tiles, bricks, blocks, elements of rock walls, and the like.
Grout is a fluid form of concrete or cement which is typically used to fill gaps. It may be used in construction to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints such as those between tiles. Grout is generally a mixture of water, cement, sand, often color tint, and sometimes fine gravel if it is being used to fill large spaces such as the cores of concrete blocks. Unlike other structural pastes such as plaster or joint compound, correctly mixed and applied grout forms a waterproof seal. Although grout and mortar are somewhat similar in that both are applied as a thick emulsion and harden over time, grout is distinguished from its close relative mortar by its viscosity. Grout is typically thinner than mortar so that it flows readily into gaps, while mortar is thick enough to support not only its own weight, but also that of masonry placed on top of it.
Grout or cement may be applied using typical types of masonry hand tools, such as variously shaped trowels, floats, and the like. Typically, a quantity of grout is placed near joints or seams to be grouted and the grout is manipulated into the seams using the hand tools. Afterwards, the grouted array is “wiped” or washed with wet sponges to clean up excess grout.
More recently, grout bags have been devised for applying grout. Grout bags typically are conical or triangular in shape, having an open wide end and a narrow end with a dispensing aperture, which may be reinforced by a hollow tip. Grout bags are often made of a polymer film, such as polyvinyl chloride or the like. The film may be reinforced by a fabric laminated therewith, particularly if the bag is a reusable type. The tip may be permanently attached or may be removable and replaceable. Grout bags are available from construction equipment suppliers, home improvement stores, and the like Exemplary types of grout bags are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,222,630 and 6,619,506, which are incorporated herein by reference.
A mixture of grout is placed in the bag through the wide end, which is then closed. The bag is compressed manually to extrude a bead of grout out of the dispensing aperture, for example, for application between tiles. The contents may be squeezed or twisted manually to expel the grout from the tip. Alternatively, the wide end of the bag may be rolled to compress the contents therein. Grout bag arrangements are somewhat similar to so-called piping bags which are used in baking to form various shapes and lines of icing for decorating cakes, pastries, and the like.
While grout is less viscous than materials like mortar, it is viscous enough that considerable labor is required to apply grout to joints of a large area of tiles or the like. When the tile pattern to be grouted is on a vertical wall, squeezing and twisting of the grout bag can be particularly awkward. Thus, there is a need for apparatus for facilitating the use of grout bags in certain types of construction activities and which requires less clean-up effort than conventional methods of applying grout and cement.
The present invention provides embodiments of an improved apparatus for applying grout, for example, to tiles, bricks, or the like. Use of the term “grout” herein is intended to encompass similar flowable materials, such as cement and the like.
An embodiment of the grout applying apparatus includes an elongated dowel engaged with a wide filling or rolling end of a material bag containing a viscous flowable material to urge the material from a narrow dispensing end of the bag and a lever engaged with the dowel to facilitate rolling the material bag onto the dowel. The dowel may be cylindrical in shape and have a slot formed along a substantial portion of the length of the dowel to receive the wide end of the bag. The dowel may have a radial bore formed in a closed end of the dowel to receive an elongated lever to roll the bag onto the dowel. The bore may have a metal socket inserted therein to prevent wear of the bore by repeated insertion of the lever therein.
In an embodiment of the grout applying apparatus, a ratcheting mechanism is engaged between the lever and the dowel. The ratcheting mechanism allows the dowel to be rolled with a sort of reciprocating motion in which the lever is maintained in a desirable position relative to the bag. The dowel may be provided with a socket formed into the closed end thereof which is adapted to receive the drive lug of a ratcheted socket wrench. The socket may be lined with a metal liner to receive the drive lug. The socket wrench may be a conventional type of socket wrench.
Various objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an embodiment of a roll-up grout bag apparatus according to the present invention. The apparatus 1 is used in cooperation with a grout bag 2 to facilitate the application of a bead of grout 3, or similar type of material, to joints or seams 4 between construction elements 5, such as tiles 6, bricks, blocks, elements of rock walls, and the like.
In an illustrated embodiment, the grout bag or extrusion apparatus 1 includes an elongated dowel 10 and a lever member 12. The illustrated dowel or split dowel 10 is cylindrical in shape and has an elongated slit or slot 14 formed from an open end 16 of the dowel to near a closed end 18 of the dowel 10. The slot 14 is preferably formed diametrically through the dowel 10, that is through a longitudinal or cylindrical axis 20 (
The dowel 10 may formed from any suitable material having the necessary strength to function as desired. The dowel 10 may be formed from a type of wood, a polymer, a metal, or a combination of such materials. The dowel 10 may formed as a unitary or monolithic type of construction by conventional processes or it may be assembled from preformed components.
The illustrated grout bag 2 is slender and conical in shape and has a wide filling end 24 (
The filling end 24 of the grout bag 2 is inserted through the slot 14 of the dowel 10, and the lever 12 is engaged to roll the bag onto the dowel 10 to pressurize the grout 3 within the bag to thereby force the grout 3 out the dispensing end 26 of the bag 2. As shown in
In the embodiment of the apparatus 1 illustrated in
It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.
