CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 14/956,730, filed on December 2, 2015, and, also, claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/152,767, filed on April 24, 2015, the entire contents of both applications are being incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an applicator box with an interchangeable blade assembly. One example of an applicator box is a finisher box, as described in greater detail below. However, applicator boxes can be applied in different scenarios and can be used with materials other than those for a finisher box.

[0003] Finisher boxes are used to apply drywall joint compound (or other materials) over wall seams or other joints to seal and finish them. Because these materials generally shrink when setting or drying, excess material (e.g., a crown) is often applied over depressed areas to compensate for the shrinkage in those areas, leaving the finished result flatter than it would be otherwise. Currently, these materials are pushed out of the finisher boxes and finished with a blade or screed. Blade assemblies of the finisher boxes have mechanisms built into them to add varying amounts of crown depending on how much the operator feels is needed. These mechanisms add complexity, cost, and weight to the box and require that the operator have some knowledge of how and when to adjust the crown.

[0004] Blades of the current blade assemblies are generally hardened SST or carbide. Blades of these materials are generally produced in a small cross section so they can have the flexibility required to produce crowns of various shapes and sizes. They are generally held in place by a blade holder that is machined from metal in such a way that it can securely hold the blade but is also flexible enough to be shaped into whatever crown is desired. Also, some mechanism for pushing or pulling on the center portion of the blade holder is typically built into the box to manipulate and shape the blade and control how much crown is desired at any given time. SUMMARY

[0005] In one embodiment, an applicator box includes a housing having a front end and a rear end. The housing includes a floor and a plurality of adjoining sides defining a cavity between them. The finisher box also includes a pressure plate pivotably coupled near the rear end of the housing about a pivot axis and a blade holder projecting from the front end of the housing in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis. A blade slot for receiving a removable blade is defined by the blade holder and the housing.

[0006] In another embodiment, an applicator box includes a housing having a front end and a rear end. The housing includes a plurality of adjoining sides defining a cavity between them. The finisher box also includes a pressure plate pivotably coupled to the housing and a blade holder near the front end of the housing. The blade holder includes a first end, a second end, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall. The front wall extends from the top wall beyond the bottom wall of the blade holder. A blade slot for receiving a removable blade is defined by the front wall, the housing, and the bottom wall of the blade holder.

[0007] In yet another embodiment, an applicator box includes a housing having a front end and a rear end. The housing includes a floor and a plurality of adjoining sides defining a cavity between them. The floor has an aperture providing an opening to the cavity. The housing also has a blade slot recessed into the housing for receiving a removable blade. The applicator box also includes a pressure plate pivotably coupled to the housing and covering the cavity. The pressure plate enables the extrusion of material in the cavity through the aperture. The applicator box also includes at least one pinch point within the blade slot for frictionally engaging the removable blade.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, an applicator box includes a housing having a front end and a rear end. The housing includes a floor and a plurality of adjoining sides defining a cavity between them. The floor has an aperture providing an opening to the cavity. The applicator box also includes a pressure plate pivotably coupled to the housing and covering the cavity. The pressure plate enables the extrusion of material in the cavity through the aperture. The applicator box also includes a removable blade directly attached to the housing. [0009] In yet another embodiment, an applicator box includes a housing having a front end and a rear end. The housing includes a floor and a plurality of adjoining sides defining a cavity between them. The floor has an aperture providing an opening to the cavity. The finisher box also includes a pressure plate pivotably coupled to the housing about a pivot axis near the rear end of the housing. The pressure plate enables the extrusion of material in the cavity through the aperture. The finisher box also includes a blade holder projecting from the front end of the housing and a blade slot for receiving a removable blade. The blade holder includes a front wall and a bottom wall perpendicular to the front wall. The front wall, the bottom wall, and the front end of the housing together define the blade slot. The finisher box also includes at least one pinch point between the front end of the housing and the front wall to frictionally engage the removable blade.

[0010] In yet another embodiment, a blade for an applicator box includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, an upper edge, and a bottom edge opposite the upper edge. The bottom edge includes at least one curve. A height of the blade is defined between the upper edge and the bottom edge. The height of the blade at the first end and the height of the blade at the second end are equal. The height of the blade at the curve is less than the height of the blade at the first end.

[0011] In yet another embodiment, a blade for an applicator box includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an upper edge having a first niche and a second niche. The first niche is adjacent the first end and the second niche is adjacent the second end. The blade also includes a bottom edge opposite the upper edge. A height of the blade is defined between the upper edge and the bottom edge. The height of the blade at the first end and the height of the blade at the second end are equal. The height of the blade at the first niche is less than the height of the blade at the first end. The height of the blade at the second niche is less than the height of the blade at the second end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a finisher box including a blade changing assembly. [0013] Fig. 2 illustrates another perspective view of the finisher box of Fig. 1. [0014] Fig. 3 illustrates a front view of the finisher box of Fig. 1.

[0015] Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the finisher box of Fig. 1 including a partial sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of Fig. 1.

[0016] Fig. 5 illustrates another perspective view of the finisher box of Fig. 1 with a blade spaced apart from the finisher box.

[0017] Figs. 6A-6D illustrate a plurality of blades for the blade assembly of the finisher box of Fig. 1.

[0018] Fig. 7 illustrates a bottom view of a blade holder of the finisher box of Fig. 1.

[0019] Fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a finisher box including a blade changing assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

[0021] Figs. 1-5 illustrate an applicator box or finisher box 10 including a blade changing assembly 12. The blade changing assembly 12 includes a blade holder 42 and a blade 100, described further hereafter. For the purposes of this application, the finisher box 10 is preferably for drywall finishing on a joint between pieces of drywall. Drywall finishing is described herein as an example application, but the applicator box may also be applied to other various types of joints or seams that need to be sealed or finished. Alternatively, the applicator box may apply material other than drywall compound to almost any surface, not limited to joints, such as fiber reinforced plastic sheeting or tiling. Furthermore, the applicator box may be used with a different shaped blade to leave an adhesive on wallboard so the operator can place fiber reinforced plastic sheet on the wall board (e.g., to waterproof bathroom walls).

[0022] The finisher box 10 also includes a shell or housing 14 with a floor 16 and spaced- apart sides 18a, 18b, 18c. The floor 16 defines a footprint of the housing 14 measured by the length and width of the floor 16. The floor 16 and the sides 18a- 18c are adapted to receive joint compound in a cavity (not illustrated) they form. The floor 16 and sides 18a- 18c may be formed as one piece, as illustrated in Figs. 1-5, or coupled by any suitable means. A pressure plate 20 includes a first edge 22 and a spaced second edge 24 that may be parallel to the first edge 22. The pressure plate 20 is retained to and is pivotable within the housing 14 and between the sides 18a- 18c about a pivot axis A. In particular, the first edge 22 is moveable along the side 18b in either direction along arrows X or Y, as shown in Fig. 3. The second edge 24 remains substantially in the same position, other than rotating about the pivot axis A, while the first edge 22 is moving along the side 18b. The pressure plate 20 is prevented from rotating beyond the side 18b by a stop 26. The stop 26 extends from the side 18b toward the second edge 24 of the pressure plate 20. The stop 26 is capable of being rotated about a fastener 28 so that the stop 26 may be rotated out of the way of the rotation of the pressure plate 20. This way, the pressure plate 20 may be rotated far enough to provide easy access to fill or clean the cavity of the finisher box 10. The finisher box 10 also includes an opening or aperture 30 located between adjacent edges or surfaces of the floor 16 and the side 18b. The majority of the aperture 30 may be formed in the floor 16. The aperture 30 allows joint compound or a seaming compound to be extruded therethrough from the cavity. As the pressure plate 20 is manually pivoted along the side 18b toward the floor 16, seaming compound, for example, is forced out through the aperture 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture 30 is substantially the same length as the floor 16 and side 18b, although the aperture 30 in other embodiments may be any suitable length.

[0023] The finisher box 10 may be made from a plurality of different materials and constructed by a variety of methods. In the illustrated embodiment, the finisher box 10 may be molded from a plastic, such as polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), among others, so as to be lightweight, to minimize areas on the finisher box 10 that are difficult to clean, and to include some non-stick properties so that joint compound does not easily stick in the cavity of the finisher box 10. In other embodiments, the finisher box 10 may be made from a metal.

[0024] The pressure plate 20 includes an internal conduit (not illustrated) at the second edge 24 of the pressure plate 20. The longitudinal axis of the conduit extends along the pivot axis A through the pressure plate 20, parallel to the first edge 22 and the second edge 24. The pressure plate 20 also includes two handle mounting studs 34 (i.e., stubs or screws 34a and wingnuts 34b). The screws 34a are sized and shaped to receive notches (not illustrated) of a handle assembly (not illustrated) that is capable of being mounted and unmounted to the finisher box 10 through tightening and loosening of the wingnuts 34b.

[0025] The finisher box 10 may also include wheels 36 coupled to the pressure plate 20 and the housing 14 by an axle 38. The axle 38 extends along the pivot axis A through the conduit and openings 40 of the side 18a and the side 18c. In other embodiments, the finisher box 10 may include a skid or skids (not illustrated) in place of one or both of the wheels 36.

[0026] Figs. 1-5 illustrate the blade changing assembly 12 for the finisher box 10, including the blade holder 42 and the interchangeable blade 100. The blade holder 42 has a top wall 48, a bottom wall 49 opposing the top wall 48, a first end wall 54, an opposing second end wall 58, and a front wall 56. The front wall 56 includes a front face 55 and a rear face 57 which faces the side 18b. The blade holder 42 is coupleable to the side 18b of the housing 14 and projects from the housing 14, and in particular from side 18b in a direction perpendicular to pivot axis A, so that the blade holder 42 is outside the footprint of the floor 16. Blade holder 42 defines a blade slot 44 for the blade 100. The blade slot 44 is formed between a portion of the front wall 56 (namely, the overhang 43 as described subsequently), the side 18b of the housing 14, and the bottom wall 49, with the bottom of the blade slot 44 open for insertion of the removable blade 100. The blade holder 42 includes one or more cleaning slots 46 which extend from the top wall 48 of the blade holder 42 to the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42. The cleaning slots 46 extend into the blade slot 44 and provide easy access to clean the blade slot 44 without having to remove the blade holder 42 from the finisher box 10. As best shown in Fig. 2, the front wall 56 includes an overhang 43 that extends vertically (as shown in Fig. 2) beyond the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42, creating a staircase shape in cross section, with the overhang 43 as a "riser" and the bottom wall 49 as a "step." The overhang 43 projects laterally (as shown in Fig. 1) from the side 18b and extends from the first end wall 54 of the blade holder 42 to the second end wall 58 of the blade holder 42. In other embodiments, the overhang 43 may not extend the entire length of the blade holder 42. For example, the blade holder 42 may include multiple overhangs 43 positioned at the end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42 or multiple overhangs 43 positioned at the end walls 54, 58 and at the center of the blade holder 42.

[0027] The housing 14 also includes fastener openings (not illustrated) for coupling the blade holder 42 to the housing 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the blade holder 42 is coupled to the housing 14 through three fasteners 50. A first fastener 50 extends through a fastener opening 52 of the blade holder 42 at the first end wall 54 of the blade holder 42. A second fastener 50 extends through a fastener opening 52 of the blade holder 42 in the front wall 56 of the blade holder 42. Finally, a third fastener 50 extends through a fastener opening 52 of the blade holder 42 at a second end wall 58 of the blade holder 42. In other embodiments, any suitable number of fasteners 50 and fastener openings 52 may be used for the finisher box 10. In yet other embodiments, the blade holder 42 may be integrally formed as one piece with the housing 14 so the blade holder 42 and the housing 14 and are all one-piece, as illustrated in Fig. 8.

[0028] As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the blade slot 44 is defined between the overhang 43 of the blade holder 42 and the side 18b of the housing 14. The blade slot 44 extends from the side 18a to side 18c and is open below the first and the second end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42 (i.e., a blade 100 received in blade slot 44 may extend beyond the first and the second end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42). As shown in Fig. 4, the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42 may include a curved portion 60 to provide clearance between the blade 100 and the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42, allowing the blade 100 to bend or flex where the clearance permits in a direction perpendicular to pivot axis A (i.e., vertically as shown in Fig. 4). The curved portion 60 extends a substantial length of the blade holder 42, but as illustrated in the embodiment of Fig. 4, the curved portion 60 does not extend the entire length of the blade holder 42. There are non-curved portions 61 adjacent each of the first and second end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42 in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4. In other embodiments, the curved portion 60 may extend shorter or farther than the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved portion 60 of the blade slot 44 is a uniform curved shape. However, in other embodiments, the curved portion 60 may be shaped and dimensioned in a non-uniform manner (e.g., flat or angled) to provide room for the blade 100 to bend at various places along its length. In yet other embodiments, the blade holder 42 does not include a curved portion 60 and the blade slot 44 is flat for its entire length, restricting the blade 100 from bending. In some embodiments, the blade holder 42 may be fully closed near one or both end walls 54, 58 (i.e., there may be additional portions extending from the overhang 43 to the side 18b near each end wall 54, 58 of the blade holder 42) to better capture the blade 100 within the blade slot 44.

[0029] Figs. 6A-6D show a plurality of blades 100 for the finisher box 10. Blade design depends on the composition of the material to be expelled from the cavity in the housing 14, the surface upon which the material will be deposited, and the user's preferences, among other things. Thus, the blade holder's 42 ability to accommodate various blade shapes is helpful. Each blade 100 may include a blade body 102 with two niches 104 on a generally flat upper edge 106 of the blade 100. Some blades 100 (e.g., the blade 100 shown in Fig. 6A) may include a generally flat bottom edge 108, while other blades 100 (e.g., the blades 100 shown in Figs. 6C and 6D) may include a substantially curved bottom edge 108 with a curve 110. A height of the blade 100 is defined between the upper edge 106 and the bottom edge 108. The blades 100 may include radiused or sharp (e.g., cornered) edges. The blades 100 are also preferably sufficiently thick in cross section to avoid breaking and quickly wearing down, but may have varying degrees of thickness. Other blades 100 may include a bottom edge 108 of varying degrees of curvature where the curve 110 may be along the bottom edge 108 at different places than those of the illustrated blades 100. Yet other blades 100 (e.g., the blade 100 shown in Fig. 6B) may include a plurality of curves 110. There are many other blades 100 and blade designs not illustrated herein that are capable of being used with the finisher box 10.

[0030] In one example, the blade 100 illustrated in Figs. 1-5 includes flat portions 112 extending from each end 114, 116 of the blade 100 about ½ inch and the curve 110 in a middle section 118 of the blade 100. However, as stated above, that flat portion 112 may extend shorter or farther than ½ inch and the curve 110 may extend closer to or further from the upper edge 106 of the blade 100. The blades 100 may be easily mass produced in a variety of materials and in a variety of cross sections. However, preferably, the blades 100 are produced from a type of plastic so they may be easily mass produced and the blades 100 may be capable of including radiused edges, among other things. Furthermore, the blades 100 may be color coded to help identify which blade 100 to use at a particular time, or just for general identification purposes. The material and cross section of the blade 100 can be altered as needed. While a completely rigid blade 100 will work well in many situations, it is beneficial for the blade 100 to be just flexible enough to flex over imperfections on a wall or other application surfaces without having to lift the ends 114, 116 of the blade 100 off the wall. In some embodiments, the blade 100 is rigid enough to hold the intended shape, but is flexible enough so that the ends 114, 116 of the blade 100 will remain in contact with the wall while the middle section 118 flexes over any imperfections on the wall surface.

[0031] When assembled with the blade holder 42, the blade 100 extends into the blade slot 44 where the blade 100 is retained by pinch points 64 (Figs. 2, 3, and 7) between the overhang 43 of the blade holder 42 and the housing 14. The pinch points 64 are formed by reducing the distance between the overhang 43 and the side 18b of the housing 14 to create frictional engagement of the blade 100 within the blade slot 44. One pinch point 64 is near the first end wall 54 of the blade holder 42 and another pinch point 64 is near the second end wall 58 of the blade holder 42. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the rear face 57 of the front wall 56 is not parallel with the front face 55 of the front wall 56. In other words, the thickness of the overhang 43 is not uniform along the length of the overhang. The overhang 43 is shaped so that the ends of the front wall 56 are closer to the side 18b of the housing 14. Because the pinch points 64 are also near ends 114, 116 of the blade 100 and the blade holder 42, the blade 100 may flex upward where the blade slot 44 provides clearance until the blade 100 contacts the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42. The niches 104 of the blade 100 fit around the end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42 so that the blade 100 does not laterally slide within the blade slot 44, specifically in the directions parallel to pivot axis A. In the illustrated embodiment, the blades 100 extend slightly beyond the end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42.

[0032] In other embodiments, the side 18b of the housing may be curved and the overhang 43 may be shaped so that the rear face 57 and the front face 55 are parallel along the length of the overhang 43. In yet other embodiments, the side 18b may be shaped as described above (i.e., substantially flat) and the rear face 57 and the front face 55 may be parallel along the length of the overhang 43. In this embodiment, the blade 100 may be wider at the ends 114, 116 so the blade 100 itself is shaped to provide frictional engagement between the finisher box 10 and the blade 100. Alternatively, the blade 100 may have a uniform width along its length, but may be wide enough so that the blade 100 is frictionally engaged along the entire length of the blade slot 44. In other words, the blade slot 44 has one pinch point 64 that extends the entire length of the blade slot 44. The blade 100 may be coupled to the finisher box 10 in other functional fashions, such as by fastening the blade 100 to the finisher box 10 with Velcro, magnets, or fasteners.

[0033] Fig. 5 illustrates the blade 100 removed from the blade slot 44. The blade 100 is easily inserted into the blade slot 44 by placing the blade 100 along the side 18b and manually pushing gently on one end 114, 116 of the blade 100 and then pushing gently on the other end 114, 116 of the blade 100. By pushing the blade 100 into the blade slot 44, the pinch points 64 between the overhang 43 and the housing 14 hold the blade ends 114, 116 in place. Because the blades 100 extend beyond the end walls 54, 58 of the blade holder 42, the blade 100 is also easily removable and replaceable. The blade 100 is removable in a reverse action as that described above. The blade 100 is pushed gently on one end 114, 116 to exceed the holding force provided by the pinch point 64 so the blade 100 is at least partially removed from the blade slot 44. The operator can then grab the blade 100 and remove it completely by pulling the blade 100 from the blade slot 44. Or, the operator can push the other end 114, 116 of the blade 100 from the blade slot 44.

[0034] The ease of insertion and removal of one blade 100 allows the operator to switch between blades 100 very efficiently and very quickly. By being able to quickly switch between blades 100, the operator may be able to quickly switch between projects by changing to a blade 100 of a different shape. For example, if a different crown or shape is desired, the operator simply replaces the current blade 100 with another blade 100 that will give the operator the desired result. There is no need to include, in the finisher box 10, a complex mechanism for manipulating the blade's shape or conformation, and that saves cost and weight. The variability of the shapes of the blades 100 allows for the finisher box 10 to be used for a variety of different projects, as described above.

[0035] In operation, the blade 100 is inserted into the finisher box 10 before or after the cavity of the finisher box 10 is filled with mastic or a different seaming compound. After the finisher box 10 is filled, the finisher box 10 is placed against a joint on the application surface. Manual pressure is applied to the pressure plate 20 through the connected handle assembly, so that the pressure plate 20 is rotated about the pivot axis A and compound is extruded from the aperture 30. The blade 100 travels over the extruded mastic so that the extruded mastic takes on the general shape of the inserted blade 100 on the joint. In general, the blade 100 maintains its nominal shape and does not flex. Therefore, the compound applied to the joint will have generally the same shape that is manufactured into the blade 100 itself. However, sometimes the middle section 118 of the blade 100 (or another section depending on the selected blade 100) must travel over elevated areas on the application surface that are significantly higher than the rest of the application surface. In this case, the middle section 118 of the blade 100 is able to float over these elevated areas by flexing upward where the bottom wall 49 of the blade holder 42 provides clearance in the blade slot 44. When the operator completes application of compound to that particular area, the operator may easily remove the current blade 100 and insert a different blade 100 with a different shape or configuration. Or, the operator may remove the blade 100, exposing the blade slot 44 for easy cleaning of the blade slot 44.