Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02598978 2007-08-27
1689
GROUTING TROWEL
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a grouting trowel, particularly for manual use, and
having a
foam pad, in the cleaning of freshly laid floor or wall tiles, particularly,
ceramic tiles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The process of laying tiles, particularly ceramic tiles on a flat wall or
floor surface
typically involves the spreading of an adhesive cement, known as a "thin set"
on the surface
with a trowel.
One form of trowel has a handle affixed to a rectangular thin metal plate
having
indentations on each of the two longitudinal edges for spreading out the "thin
set", to a
desired thickness intermittent of the area covered to leave a roughened uneven
surface.
An alternative trowel has a handle and rectangular metal plate of similar
dimensions
affixed to a rectangular non-abrasive, rubber foam pad of the same surface
area as the metal
plate and a thickness of about lcm. This pad trowel may be used in the same
manner as the
metal trowel in spreading thin set adhesive on the surface.
Further, once the tiles are laid out on the surface, grout is spread on and
between the
tiles by the trowel and the excess subsequently removed. Since the grout
contains rough
particulate filler, although the pad trowel is more gentle and minimize
abrasion of the tile
surface than the metal trowel surface, the soft pad suffers from being worn
down by the grout
particles. Such a prior art grout trowel with a pad, generally, only last for
between 30-40 hrs.
of utilization, before a replacement trowel is needed and the current trowel
discarded.
Further, uneven wear of the pad particularly at its edges and corners can
cause damage to a
tile by a metal plate corner or edge.
Although there is a need for a more suitable soft pad material with a more
longer
acting life, until one is available, such full grout trowels will continue to
be "prematurally"
discarded.
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CA 02598978 2007-08-27
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a trowel for cleaning wall and floor tiles of grout,
having a
handle affixed to a base place to which is adhered a soft pad, wherein the
lower surface of the
base plate and the upper surface of the pad have complimentary fiber-engaging
strips
engageable and disengageable one strip with another. Disengagement of the
strips allows for
the pad to be discarded when required and replaced with another pad. This
negates the need
to discard the full trowel with a significant saving in monetary cost and
inconvenience.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grout pad trowel
that does
not require the disposal of the handles and metal plate members once the pad
is no longer
satisfactory.
Accordingly, the invention provides in one aspect a trowel comprising
(a) a handle means;
(b) a planar base plate having an upper face and a lower face, and affixed
to said handle at said upper face;
(c) a soft pad member having a pad top surface and a pad bottom surface;
(d) retaining means affixing said pad top surface to said base plate lower
face;
characterized in that said retaining means comprises engageable and dis-
engageable adhering member means.
Preferably, the adhering means comprises fiber-engaging member means, which
are
repeatably engageable and disengageable one member to another member.
In one aspect, the invention provides a trowel as hereinabove defined wherein
said
adhering means comprises
(i) a first retainer member having a first surface and a second surface,
wherein (a)
said first surface is adhered to and covers in whole or in part said lower
face of said base
plate, and (b) said second surface comprises a fiber-engageable face; and
(ii) a second retainer member having (a) a first surface adhered to said pad
top
surface, and (b) a fiber-covered second surface, whereby said fiber-engageable
surface of said
first retainer member and said fiber-covered second surface of said second
retainer member
are each adherably engageable with and disengageable from the other.
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In an alternative aspect, the invention provides a trowel as hereinabove
defined
wherein said adhering means comprises
(i) a first retainer member having a first surface and a second surface,
wherein (a)
said first surface is adhered to and covers in whole or in part said lower
face of said base
plate, and (b) said second surface comprises a fiber-covered second surface;
and
(ii) a second retainer member having (a) a first surface adhered to said pad
top
surface, and (b) a fiber-engageable second surface; whereby said fiber-
engageable second
surface of said second retainer member and said fiber-covered second surface
of said first
retainer member are each adherably engageable with and disengageable from the
other.
The first and second retainer members are preferably planar.
Preferably, in a further embodiment the invention provides a trowel wherein
said
lower face of said base plate is adhered to a plurality of said first retainer
members.
In preferred embodiments, the pad top surface is adhered to a plurality of
said second
retainer members.
In alternative embodiments, the pad member of the trowel is of a size and
shape as to
overlap all or a part of at least one edge of said planar base plate.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a grout trowel assembly comprising
in
combination
(A) a handle;
a planar base plate having an upper face and a lower face and affixed to said
handle at said upper face;
a base plate retainer member having (i) a first surface adhered to and
covering
in whole or in part said lower face of said base plate, and (ii) a second
surface; and
(B) a replaceable soft pad unit comprising
a soft pad member having a pad top surface and a pad bottom surface; and
a pad retainer member having (i) a first surface adhered to and covering in
whole or in part said pad top surface, and (ii) a second surface comprising
adhering means.
Preferably, an assembly as hereinabove defined has said base place retainer
member
second surface adhering means and said pad retainer member second surface
adhering means
adapted to cooperate in operable engagement and disengagement.
Preferably, the assembly as hereinabove defined has said base plate retainer
member
second surface adhering means comprising fiber-engaging means.
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The base plate preferably has the retainer member second surface adhering
means
comprising fiber-covered surface.
In further embodiments, the assembly has said soft pad member second surface
adhering means comprising a fibered-covered surface.
In preferred embodiments, the assembly has said soft pad member second surface
adhering means comprising fiber-engaging means.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a replaceable soft pad unit
adapted to
cooperate in operable engagement and disengagement with said base plate
retainer member
second surface adhering means.
Preferably, the replaceable pad unit as hereinabove defined has said second
surface
adhering means adapted to cooperate in operable engagement and disengagement
with
complementary adhering means.
Preferably, the replaceable pad unit as hereinabove defined has said second
surface
adhering means comprising fiber-engaging means.
Preferably, the replaceable pad unit as hereinabove defined has said second
surface
adhering means comprising fiber-engaging means.
The replaceable pad unit as hereinabove defined is preferably planar, which
may
cover in whole or in part said pad top surface; and comprise a plurality of
said pad retainer
members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be better understood, a preferred embodiment
will
now be described, by way of example only, wherein:
Fig. I is a perspective view of a grouting pad trowel according to the prior
art;
Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a grouting pad trowel, in an engaged
and
disengaged assembly combination, respectively, according to the invention; and
wherein the
same numerals denote like parts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
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Fig. I shows generally as 10, a trowel having a metal planar base place 12
having an
upper face 14 and a lower face 16 affixed to a handle 18 at upper face 14 by
screws (not
shown). Lower face 16 is permanently affixed by an adhesive layer (not shown)
to the upper
face 20 of a soft pad member 22.
Figs. 2 and 3 show generally as 30 and 40, respectively, a grout trowel
assembly in an
engaged and a disengaged combination, respectively.
Lower face 16 of base place 12 has a plurality of planar, rectangular fiber-
engaging
fiber strips 32 suitably located at peripheral portions of face 16. A
preferred strip 32 is
formed of VELCRO fiber-engaging material, permanently affixed to face 16 by a
suitable
bonding adhesive.
Upper face 20 of pad 22 also has a similar plurality of planar, rectangular
strips 42 of
VELCRO material suitably located on and bonded to face 20 as to be operably
engageable
and disengageable with strips 32.
The shapes, thicknesses, sizes, numbers and locations of strips 32 and
cooperable
opposing strips 42 may be suitably varied, if desired. The shapes, sizes and
numbers of fibers
per unit area of strips 32, 42 are such as to effect sufficient engagement
with opposing fibers
of the opposing strip as to permit manual use of the assembly for its rubbing
and cleaning
duty on and between the tiles to be cleaned. However, the engagement between
strips 32, 42
should not be too strong as to prevent disengagement of strips 32, 42 by
vertically manually
pressing base plate 12 from pad member 22. Aforesaid VELCRO fiber material of
strips
32, 42 is most satisfactory in providing the desired and required engagement-
disengagement
physical properties.
In operation, when pad 22 has been sufficiently worn as to be replaced,
disengagement from base plate 12 is effected and a new pad 22 engaged.
Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred
embodiments
of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted
to those particular
embodiments. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments, which are
functional or
mechanical equivalence of the specific embodiments and features that have been
described
and illustrated.
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