Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention generally relates to a wedge leveling system for laying tile and other surface protective coverings on a surface and more specifically to a tab for use with a wedge to prevent misalignment or lippage of tiles and the like when being laid on the surface.
Many tile and surface protective covering spacing and leveling devices and methods for using the same are known. Examples of such devices and methods are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,992,354, 8,671,628 and 8,800,246. These prior art devices and methods for aligning tile and ensuring the edges of adjacent tiles are levelled include levelling devices having a base which is placed below the lower surfaces of two adjacent tiles. The base has a vertical member extending upwardly therefrom and inserted between side edges of the two tiles. The vertical member includes an opening therein and is attached to the base by one or more frangible connections in various positions on the vertical member. The frangible connections are broken or snapped off after the adhesive holding the tiles is set and the wedge is removed, to remove the vertical member from between the tiles.
These known devices all use wedges that are inserted through the opening in the vertical member to press against the upper surfaces of the two tiles and push the tiles down against the surface on which they are being laid, to hold the tiles aligned and in place until set. These known devices tend to be expensive to use, have frangible connections in or above the base at different positions in relation to the side edges of the two tiles and do not always provide acceptable and consistent results without the use of additional spacers or other devices or tools.
Therefore, there still exists a need in the art for an improved wedge leveling system and the levelling device or tab used with the wedge to maintain the items being attached to a surface in place and in proper alignment, and which is easily broken off at a frangible connection, in the desired position, below the upper surface of the base to provide more consistent and improved results.
The wedge leveling system in this document is configured to allow tiles or the like to be easily mounted on opposite sides of the base of the levelling device, with a vertical member held between opposed edges of the tiles. A wedge is then inserted and tightly held in an opening in the vertical element, so as to maintain the tiles or the like in place until set, whereby the wedge may be used to break off the an upper protruding portion of the levelling device extending between adjacent tiles or the like or the wedge is removed and the upper protruding portion of the levelling device is easily broken off by kicking or striking with a tool.
The wedge levelling system will hereinafter be described solely in relation to its use with tiles. However, it is to be understood that the levelling system may be used with substantially any floor, wall or other surface to which a surface coverings or cladding material is to be applied.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved tile levelling system. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a tile leveling system with a levelling device or tab having an opening therein into which a wedge is inserted and held to press on the upper surfaces of adjacent tiles to properly align the edges thereof.
It is an object of the wedge leveling system to minimize the number of separate spacer and/or tab devices that must be used to level tiles.
It is an object of the wedge leveling system for the tab of the levelling system is preferably made from a thermoplastic material and includes a base and a vertical member extending away from a central area of a top surface of the base. The base of the tab is readily inserted between adjacent tiles with the vertical member extending between opposed edges or ends of the tiles. The base may take any desired shape, but preferably includes spaced apart outer ends or feet which are beveled to allow the base to be more easily inserted under adjacent tiles on the surface to which the tiles are being laid.
It is another object of the wedge leveling system for the tab to includes a first opening formed between two leg portions of the vertical member, as well as a second opening on the top portion. The leg portions have rounded lower ends attached to frangible elements held in the bottom of curved openings formed on the top surface of the base. The frangible elements include small openings therein so as to be easily broken off below the top surface of the base, eliminating separation in the wrong location, after the tiles are set, by either rocking or striking the vertical member.
It is an object of the wedge leveling system for the tab to provide a knife edge on the top of the opening in the vertical member to more firmly and securely cooperate with grooves or ribs formed on an angled top surface of a wedge when inserted and held in the opening.
It is another object of the wedge leveling system to provide a tile leveling system with a tab having a base with a vertical member having at least one opening therein, which vertical member is connected to the base by spaced legs having frangible lower portions. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tile leveling system with a tab that includes a wedge holding opening therein. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel tile leveling system with a tab having an integrated design that is more diverse, easier to use, uses less material to make and which eliminates breaking away of the frangible lower portions in the wrong locations, when compared to available tile levelling devices.
It is still another object of the wedge leveling system to provide a levelling system comprising a tab having a base and a vertical member releasably attached to the base by frangible leg portions held in openings formed on a top surface of the base. The vertical member includes an opening formed between the leg portions and spaced so as to be above two adjacent tiles when the tiles are placed on the base on either side of the vertical member, which extends between adjacent ends or side edges of the tiles. When a wedge is inserted and held in the opening and presses down, the tiles are pushed downwardly toward a surface upon which they are being laid to properly align the edges thereof until the tiles are set. The wedge is then used to break off the vertical member, or the wedge is removed and the vertical member broken off at the frangible portions and removed.
Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.
The objects and features of the wedge leveling system which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout.
Turning now to the drawings,
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After the adhesive holding the tiles and base 12 in place sets, the wedge 17 is either removed or used to aid in breaking the vertical member 15 off in the base 12 by either hitting the wedge or removing the wedge and rocking the vertical member around the frangible portions 34 or hitting the upper end of the vertical member 15, above the top surface of the tiles, with a hammer or other tool, or by kicking the wedge and/or vertical member 15. The reduced width frangible portions 34 below the rounded ends 38 of the legs 24, 26 are broken off along the plurality of openings 36, essentially at or near the bottom of the rounded openings 30, 32. The rounded openings 30, 32 and rounded ends 38, as well as the openings 36, allow the frangible portions 34 to be broken off, in the correct location, at or near the bottom of the openings 30, 32, well below the top surface 19 of the base 12. After the vertical member 15 is broken off and removed, the space between the tiles is filed with grout. The grout also fills in the now empty rounded openings 38 in the base 12 to aid in keeping the base 12 in position underneath the lower surface of the tiles 13, 14.
It, therefore, can be seen that the present wedge leveling system provides an improved levelling system comprising a tab having a base and a vertical member 15 releasably attached to the base 12 by frangible leg 24, 26 portions having a plurality of openings 22 formed therein and held in rounded openings formed on the top surface of the base 12. The vertical member 15 includes an opening spaced so as to be above two adjacent tiles when the tiles are placed on the base on either side of the vertical member 15 which extends between adjacent ends or side edges of the tiles 13, 14 to aid in spacing the same. A wedge 17 having an upper angled surface 40 with a number of grooves or ribs 39 that may then be inserted and more securely held in the first opening 16 to press down the tiles 13, 14 toward a surface upon which they are being laid to properly align the edges thereof until the tiles 13, 14 are set, the wedge 17 removed and the vertical member 15 broken off.
Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide for a tile levelling system having an improved tab for insertion between two adjacent tiles so as to both space the tiles apart and cooperate with a wedge inserted into an opening in a vertical member of the tab to align the edges of the two tiles.
Thus, specific embodiments of a wedge leveling system have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
Not Applicable.
This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 16/249,335 filed Jan. 16, 2019 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,724,254 on Jul. 28, 2020 the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
7992354 | Doda, Jr. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8671628 | Sighinolfi | Mar 2014 | B2 |
8800246 | Gorton | Aug 2014 | B2 |
9534403 | Biec | Jan 2017 | B2 |
20190169863 | Torrents Comas | Jun 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200347617 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16249335 | Jan 2019 | US |
Child | 16931975 | US |