TRIM SYSTEM

SYSTEME DE PLINTHE

English Abstract

The trim system is comprised of a J-trim component to be secured onto a surface such as a wall of a home, and a ledge component to be secured within said J- trim component. The ledge component is comprised of a slot along a longitudinal axis of the ledge member in order to mate with a hook portion of the J-trim component, and is also comprised of keyholes on the lower surface of said ledge member in order to secure it to the wall as well. The ledge member has two leader grooves located on opposite extremities of the slot in order to reduce the wear and tear of the ledge member's cast mould and therefore extend the life of the mould.

French Abstract

Un système de plinthe comprend un élément de garniture en J destiné à être fixé à une surface telle quun mur dune maison, et un élément dappui destiné à être fixé dans ledit élément de garniture en J. Lélément dappui comprend un sillon le long de laxe longitudinal de lélément dappui de manière à correspondre à la partie crochet de lélément de garniture en J, et il comprend également des trous de serrure sur la surface inférieure dudit élément dappui de manière à le fixer lui aussi au mur. Lélément dappui possède deux rainures de guidage situées aux extrémités opposées du sillon pour réduire lusure du moule de lélément dappui et ainsi prolonger la vie du moule.

Claims

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A trim system for use with brick or other masonry cladding comprising:
a. a J-trim component for positioning onto a surface, said J-trim component
having a hook
portion;
b. a ledge member to facilitate the egress of water, further comprised of:
i. a slot along a longitudinal axis of the ledge member for positioning into
the hook
portion of the J-trim component, wherein the slot has a first end and a second
end;
ii. two leader grooves adjacent to the first and second ends of the slot to
reduce the
degradation of a casting mould during fabrication of the ledge member; and
iii. at least two keyholes extending from a lower surface to a first side
surface of the
ledge member to secure said ledge member to the surface, wherein the keyholes
are further
comprised of a spherical chamber and pyramidal chamber.
2. The trim system of claim 1 wherein the two leader grooves are adjacent to
the first and second
ends of the slot and extend to the first side surface of the ledge member.
3. The trim system of claim 1 wherein the ledge member is further comprised of
a longitudinal
strip for positioning in between the hook portion and a securing surface of
the J-trim component.
4. The trim system of claim 3 wherein a distance in between the hook portion
and the securing
surface of the J-trim component is defined by a gap which receives the
longitudinal strip of the
ledge member, wherein the slot along a longitudinal axis of the ledge member
receives the hook
portion of the J-trim component when the gap receives the longitudinal strip.
5. The trim system of claim 1 wherein the J-trim component is further
comprised of a securing
surface comprised of at least two apertures for receiving screws therein for
securing the J-trim
component to a surface.
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Description

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Attorney Ref: 1046P117CA01
TRIM SYSTEM
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to trimming, more specifically, to a trim system for
installing onto various surfaces.
Background
Over the course of new building construction or renovations, it is desirable
to
install a trim or ledge system. A typical installation occurs where a wainscot
application
of stone is applied to the lower portion of the building face, and transition
is required
from one type of siding to another. A device suitable for easy installation
that is also
esthetically pleasing and allows for the proper flow of water away from the
house wrap
is essential.
Inventions such as US Patent 8,607,514 (Peterson), US Patent Publication No.
=
2012/0222383 (Cashman) have been devised in order to provide a trim system
around a
window to reduce water seepage and make it easy to install.
Specifically, Peterson discloses a snap :fit system to be used with sealant,
thereby
creating the transition between the window sill and the trim. Unfortunately
Peterson's
system has many small and intricate parts, which can be lost or worse, broken.
Meanwhile, Cashman's trim system discloses a C-shaped bracket and a trim piece
with
longitudinal slots to snap fit into the C-shaped bracket and complete the
system.
Unfortunately, these devices are overly complicated and require many complex
parts to provide the solution that is offered herein. Specifically, a device
is required that
can be simple, easy to install and further offer the ability to properly hide
the fasteners
= so that it is aesthetically pleasing. The device further requires having
a mold that can
cast the proper part while preserving the mold's life. With specific reference
to
Cashman's device, advantages of the present invention include the fact that a
J-
component, rather than C-component allows for variance on width of cast
component
with a single steel C-component "sku" to install. .1 allows for rapid
manufacturing of any

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conceivable profile and width of component to be installed without having to
manufacture tooling for an exactly matching steel C-component. Further, screw-
less
systems have insufficient strength to hold heavy masonry components, and screw-
less
clip only systems are typically difficult to adjust or remove once component
is installed.
5 Finally, the geometry shown in Cashman would not be functional, as the
flex required
in leg to fit into slot would deform the steel component permanently. Once the
component is screwed up against the brick mould of a window leg it will
contact
window mould and cannot be flexed to allow piece to clip in.
10 Summary of the Invention
In one aspect of the present invention, a trim system for use with brick or
other
masonry cladding is provided comprising a J-trim component for positioning
onto a
surface, said J-trim component having a hook portion; a ledge member to
facilitate the
egress of water, further comprised of: a slot along a longitudinal axis of the
ledge
15 member for positioning into the hook portion of the J-trim component;
two leader
grooves located on opposite extremities of the slot to reduce the degradation
of a casting
mould during fabrication of the ledge member; and at least two keyholes on a
lower
surface of the ledge member to secure said ledge member to the surface.
20 In a second aspect of the present invention, a ledge member to
facilitate the
egress of water is provided further comprised of: a slot along a longitudinal
axis of the
ledge member for positioning into the hook portion of the J-trim component;
two leader
grooves located on opposite extremities of the slot to reduce the degradation
of a casting
= mould during fabrication of the ledge member; and at least two keyholes
on a lower
25 surface of the ledge member to secure said ledge member to the surface.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a keyhole to secure a component to
a
surface is provided, comprised of: a first pyramidal chamber positioned in the
component to allow a screw body to fit therein, further comprised of tapered
inner
30 walls; a spherical chamber positioned adjacent to the first pyramidal
chamber allow for
a screw head to fit therein; and, a sloping hypotenuse travelling along the
length of the

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first pyramidal chamber providing an optimal angle for a screw to secure the
component
to the surface.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The following figures serve to illustrate various embodiments of features of
the
invention. These figures are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trim system according to a first
embodiment
of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a J-trim component of the trim system
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3a is an upper perspective view of a ledge member of the trim system
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3b is an upper perspective view of a transparent ledge member of the
trim
system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3c is an upper rear perspective view of a ledge member of the trim
system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4a is a lower perspective view of a transparent portion of a ledge
member
of the trim system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4b is a cutaway perspective view of a keyhole of the trim system
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5a is an upper perspective view of a keyhole of the trim system
according
to a second embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5b is a top view of a keyhole of the trim system according to a second
embodiment of the present invention;
75 Figure Sc is an upper perspective cross-sectional view of a keyhole of
the trim
system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a trim system positioned and secured onto a
surface of a home according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
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Detailed Description
The following embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to be
limiting. It will be appreciated that various modifications and/or alterations
to the
embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the invention
and
any modifications and/or alterations are within the scope of the contemplated
invention.
With reference to Figure 1 and according to a first embodiment of the present
device, a
trim system 10 is shown comprised of a J-trim component 15 and a ledge member
20 to
facilitate the egress of water. The J-trim component 15 is meant to be
positioned and
then secured by means of screws onto a surface (not shown), for instance an
exterior
wall of a house. The ledge member 20 is then positioned and mates into the J-
trim
component 15 and is then screwed into the surface (not shown) by means of
screws
positioned into keyholes (not shown) of the ledge member 20. A sealant is also
present
but not shown, which will be positioned around the ledge member 20 and serves
to
protect the house wrap from dirt, dust and more specifically from water. The
positioning and affixing to a surface is further detailed below. The purpose
of the trim
system 10 is to facilitate the transition between brick to another surface and
allow water
to properly flow from one to the other.
With reference to Figure 2 and according to a first embodiment of the present
invention, the J-trim component 15 is shown further comprised of a securing
surface 25,
and a hook portion 30 which defines a gap 32 between said hook portion 30 and
the
securing surface 25. In turn, the securing surface 25 is further comprised of
at least two
apertures 35 for receiving screws therein and securing the J-trim component 15
onto a
surface. The hook portion 30 of the J-trim component 15 is shaped in such a
way so as
to mate with a slot (not shown) of the ledge member (not shown) while the gap
32 can
fit a longitudinal strip (not shown) of the ledge member (not shown) within
it.
Therefore, in order to install the trim system onto a surface, the first step
is comprised
of positioning and securing the 1-trim component 15 onto the surface by
screwing
screws into the apertures 35 located on the securing surface 25 of the .1-trim
component
15.
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With reference to Figures 3a, 3b and 3c and according to a first embodiment of
the present invention, the ledge member 20 is shown comprised of a sloping
surface 40,
a slot 45 along a longitudinal axis of the ledge member 20, two leader grooves
50, 52
and at least two keyholes 55. The slot 45 which is along the longitudinal axis
of the
ledge member 20 is meant for positioning into the hook portion (not shown) of
the J-
trim component (not shown). It therefore follows that the width of a
longitudinal strip
60 parallel to the slot 45 corresponds to the gap (not shown) of the J-trim
component
(not shown) for easy mating. The two leader grooves 50, 52 which are
positioned on
opposite extremities of the slot 45 will generally be flush with a first side
surface 70 of
the ledge member 20. As the ledge member 20 is a cast component, the two
leader
grooves 50, 52 are present in order to reduce the degradation of the cast
mould. When
the two leader grooves 50, 52 are not present in the trim system such that the
longitudinal strip 60 runs parallel to the ledge of the first side surface 70,
often the
longitudinal strip 60 will cause the mould to break at each extremity of said
longitudinal
strip 60 when the ledge member 20 is being removed from the mould. Therefore,
by
terminating the longitudinal strip 60 in the two leader grooves 50, 52, the
mould
remains stronger at the edges of the longitudinal strip 60 and will resist to
breaking
when being removed from the mould, therefore prolonging the life of the mould.
The
ledge member 20 is further comprised of at least two keyholes 55 extending
from a
lower surface (not shown) to the first side surface 70 of the ledge member 20
for
securing said ledge member 20 to the surface (not shown).
With reference to Figures 4a and 4b and according to one embodiment of the
present invention, the keyholes 55 are shown extending from a lower surface 75
to a
first side surface 70 of the ledge member 20. The keyholes 55 are further
comprised of a
spherical chamber 80 and a pyramidal chamber 85, said spherical chamber 80 in
order
to allow for a screw 90 to be inserted within it, and then the pyramidal
chamber 85
being angled in such a way so as to allow the screw 90 to screw into the
surface (not
shown) of the wall in an upwards angled fashion. The shape of the keyholes 55
allows
for the screws 90 to be hidden from view yet still be functional in nature.
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With reference to Figures 5a, 5b and Sc and according to a second embodiment
of the present invention, a keyhole 155 to secure a component to a surface is
shown
comprised of a first and second pyramidal chamber 185, 187 and a spherical
chamber
180 positioned in between the first and second pyramidal chambers 185, 187. A
worker
skilled in the art would appreciate that while the present shape is spherical,
it could be
another suitable shape provided that is allows for the head of a screw to fit
therein. The
first pyramidal chamber 185 is positioned in a component and further comprised
of
tapered inner walls 101, 102 which are essential as they allow for the keyhole
155 to be
properly removed from the mold during manufacturing. The tapered inner walls
101,
102 must taper inwardly from a lower surface 175 towards a sloping hypotenuse
111.
Said sloping hypotenuse 111 travels along the length of the first and second
chambers
185, 187 and will allow the screw to be angled with a certain inclination
upwards and
into another component, as was described above. Specifically, the sloping
hypotenuse
111 should have an optimal angle which would correspond to an incline in
between 15-
30 degrees. This will allow the force that the screw will provide to be
sufficient to hold
the component. The second pyramidal chamber 187 is provided is some limited
circumstances, depending on the size of the screw head/driver tip. When the
screw head
is smaller, the second pyramidal chamber 187 will be unnecessary.
With reference to Figure 6 and according to a first embodiment of the present
invention, the trim system 10 is shown affixed to a wall 10 of a house. As was
previously explained, the trim system 10 separates a first plane 105 such as
brick from a
second plane 110 such as a different type of stone. A worker skilled in the
art will
appreciate that while the trim system 10 of the present embodiment is always
shown
installed horizontally, it is possible for this system to work vertically as
well. As sealant
will be used to protect the house wrap from the penetration by water, the
orientation of
the trim system 10 is immaterial to the teachings of the invention.
Many modifications of the embodiments described herein as well as other
embodiments may be evident to a person skilled in the art having the benefit
of the
teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. It
is
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understood that these modifications and additional embodiments are captured
within the
scope of the contemplated invention which is not to be limited to the specific
embodiment disclosed.
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Representative Drawing