DESCRIPTION

STRUCTURAL SURFACE DESIGN DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a tool for creating a finishing design on a surface of a wall or ceiling of a building.

BACKGROUND ART Numerous tools have been patented for tools that create designs in finishing surface materials such as joint compound (also called topping), plaster, and stucco. The term "finishing surface material" is defined as including any of these materials.

The tool of United States patent no. 1,789,627 has a smooth working surface that contains projections the are pressed against an upper wet coat of "paint or plastic material" to remove the portion of the upper wet coat adjacent to each projection from a lower dried coat.

A hand mit having an uneven surface constitutes the device of United States patent no. 2,81 1,767. The working surface is pressed into "mortar mix" that has been applied to a panel in order "to obtain a simulated stone texture thereon." The process of United States patent no. 5,676,999 involves placing a stencil on surface, applying texture slurry onto the stencil, and removing the stencil. If desired, a trowel "may be lightly drawn across the newly texture area" more closely to match the appearance of an adjacent area.

The tool of United States patent no. 5,771 ,525 comprises a plurality of closed- cell polyethylene foam prongs "arranged side-by-side in a bundle, the bundle having a . . . lower end . . . attached to one side of . . . [a] grip, and the top end of the bundle of prongs expanding out in a splay pattern . . . ." In use, the upper ends of the prongs are dipped into "a drywall joint compound, plaster, or stucco material," which is then daubed onto the prepared drywall repair area . . . until the desired area is completely cover[ed]." Consequently, the prongs are not arranged into a pattern that it is desired to duplicate on the surface of the drywall. Furthermore, the prongs do not project from a base that, when the tool is placed into a container of finishing surface material, is sufficiently close to the wall or walls of the container that the material does not cure.

The tool does, however, optionally employ an "extension pole" in order to ". . . allow the user to reach ceiling and upper wall locations . . . ."

The texturing tool in United States patent no. 6,390,801 employs a blade or base having a number of holes for temporarily retaining joint compound that is to applied to a wall by daubing the blade on the wall. From the figures and the claims, it is evident that each of the holes extends "through the tool blade from the first side to an opposite, second side thereof . . . ." Thus, not only does this texturing tool not comprise projections extending from the bottom of the base, but the holes prevent the blade or base from being utilized to prevent curing of the joint compound in a container therefor. United States patent no. 6,756,006 describes and claims an applicator unit having an oval cross-sectional shape with a multiplicity of cavities on the bottom to be filled with compound, such as drywall compound, by having the applicator placed in a container, which appears not to be the original container for the compound, having compound therein. The applicator is then pressed against a substrate, such as a ceiling or a wall, to create a desired pattern. The different cross-sectional shapes of the applicator and the container clearly demonstrate that the applicator, when placed in the container, cannot be sufficiently close to the wall or walls of the container that the material does not cure.

The applicator of United States patent publication no. 2002/0001636 is, except for cross-sectional shape and the fact that the applying portion is a sponge, essentially the same as the applicator of patent no. 6,756,006 except that the cavities for transfer of the uncured texture material are in a sponge.

And the tool of United States patent no. 6,680,083 is designed to place designs in an already applied layer of wet plaster. Furthermore, the working surface of the tool is smooth, having neither projections nor cavities.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present Structural Surface Design Device comprises a base having a top and a bottom with at least one raised projection extending from the bottom of the base and creating a pattern for a user to duplicate or repeat with finishing surface material on a structural surface such as a wall or ceiling.

Any such projection is composed of such structural material that finishing surface material only removably adheres to any such projection because the surface to

which the finishing surface material is to be applied has a greater affinity for the finishing surface material than does any such projection.

The base has such dimensions that it can be inserted into a container for finishing surface material and serve as a removable top for such container. Furthermore, the dimensions of the base are selected such that when the Structural Surface Design Device is placed in the container, the edge of the base is sufficiently close to the wall or walls of the container that the finishing surface material does not cure.

Consequently, when inserted into and subsequently removed from the container of finishing surface material, the at least one projection will withdraw finishing surface material; and when such material has been placed in contact with the surface and the base and the at least one projection have subsequently been moved away from the surface, the finishing surface material will remain on the surface in the same pattern as that of the at least one projection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral cutaway view of the Structural Surface Design Device in a container of finishing surface material.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top of the base for the Structural Surface Design Device.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the construction industry, a variety of finishing surface materials (1) are available. These, as mentioned previously, include joint compound (also called "topping") and stucco.

Such materials (1), after application, cure into rigid surfaces. Prior to application, if isolated within a generally airtight container (2), these materials (1) are viscous fluids.

The present Structural Surface Design Device (3), as illustrated in FIG. 1 , forms a removable top (4) for a container (2) intended to isolate the material prior to application and also selectively extracts material (1) from the container (2) in order to create a design on a desired surface.

The Structural Surface Design Device (3), as depicted in FIG. 1, comprises a base (5) having a top (6) and a bottom (7). At least one raised projection (8) extends

from the bottom of the base (5) creating a pattern (9) for a user to duplicate or repeat with finishing surface material (1) on a structural surface such as a wall or ceiling.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape (10) of the base (5) is preferably the same as that of the interior (11) of the container (2) for the material (1), which is traditionally, but not necessarily, circular (such container (2) generally, but not necessarily, being a bucket).

A handle (12) extends upward from the base (5).

The projection or projections (8) and, preferably, the base (5), are composed of any structural material having an affinity for the finishing surface material (1) which is less than the affinity for the finishing surface material (1) which the surface to which the material is to be applied has, such structural material preferably being any non-porous material (such as painted wood or plastic), so that the finishing surface material (1) will only removably (not permanently) adhere to the projection or projection (8) when contacted by the projection or projections (8). Preferably, the handle (12), the base (5), and the projection or projections (8) are integrally formed (rather than being created and subsequently attached to one another). And, even more preferably, the handle (12), the base (5), and the projection or projections (8) are composed of plastic (although, when these are not integrally formed, they could each be composed of a different material). The dimensions of the base (5) are selected such that when the Structural

Surface Design Device (3) is placed in the container (2), the edge (13) of the base is sufficiently close to the wall or walls (14) of the container (2) that the material (1) does not cure. Without excessive force being applied to the Structural Surface Design Device (3), only the projection or projections (8) will touch the material (1). Thus, when the Structural Surface Design Device (3) is withdrawn from the container (2), a portion of the material (1) will adhere to the projection or projections (8) but not to any other area of the base (5). Consequently, when the projection or projections (8) are placed sufficiently close to a surface intended to be coated with the material (1), the material (1) on the projection or projections (8) will touch the surface and, upon withdrawal of the projection or projections (8), will, because of the greater affinity of the surface for the material (1), be left on the surface in a pattern (9) having the same shape as that of the lower surface (15) of the projection or projections (8).

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The way in which the Structural Surface Design Device is capable of exploitation in industry and the way in which the Structural Surface Design Device can be made and used are obvious from the description and the nature of the Structural Surface Design Device.