The present invention further relates to a method for using such a template to ensure that the required shape is accurately outlined.

In recent years the popularity of DIY and home improvement has increased noticeably. One reason for this is that many retailers now sell DIY products that are easy to use and inexpensive. Painting and wallpapering are typical examples of DIY procedures that are now relatively simple.

It is, therefore, becoming increasingly possible for those with little experience of DIY to tackle tasks that would previously have been considered too difficult and time-consuming.

There are nonetheless a number of techniques/procedures that require to be performed by an expert either as a result of the need for specialist equipment or because the particular technique requires skill and experience.

One procedure that requires a high level of skill and accuracy is that of cutting materials, for example tiles, so that they are able to fit tightly round obstacles such as sockets or plumbing fittings.

Furthermore, there is a lack of equipment available or hereinbefore known which could simplify this procedure and consequently reduce the waste produced as a result of errors and inaccurate measurements.

It would therefore be desirable to be able to use a template to assist the process of cutting materials to a pre-determined size and shape.

It would also be desirable for such a template to be suitable to be adapted to a wide range of shapes and sizes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a series of templates that may be adapted to outline a shape or area to which materials, such as tiles or sheet products, can be cut.

It is a further object of the present invention that said templates can be adapted to a wide range of shapes or areas.

A yet further object of the present invention is that such templates are inexpensive and easy to use.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a template or series of templates for defining an outline in two dimensions, wherein one or more said templates in combination may be used to measure or profile a shape or outline that corresponds to a shape of an obstacle and is thereby adapted to assist in the cutting of sheet materials for placement around or adjacent to said obstacle.

Preferably the series of templates are dimensioned such that each template is of a distinct or unique dimension relative to all the other templates in the series.

More preferably the dimensions of the templates increases incrementally.

The general shape of the templates forming the series is preferably selected with dependency on the shape of the sheet material to be cut, and typically this requires the use of templates in the form of simple shapes such as triangles, squares, rectangles, circles and pentagons.

However, the templates that may be used should not be considered to be limited to these shapes.

Preferably the series of templates includes a template with cut outs or concave portions on one or more edges thereof which correspond to various pipe diameters in both metric and imperial sizes.

The templates are typically made from paper, card or plastic although any other suitable material may be used.

Preferably the templates are made from thick polypropylene.

Optionally the templates are covered with a plastic or laminate material.

Preferably the templates are crease proof and resistant to wear.

Preferably each template is overprinted with a series of graduations for measurement purposes.

The series of templates may also be provided with a measurer, wherein the measurer is provided with additional markings for measurement or scaling purposes, and wherein the measurer is intended to be used in co- operation with one or more of said templates to assist in the accurate measurement of the shape or profile. In this way, for example, the measurer may be utilised to provide accurate non-linear outlines or curves.

Preferably the measurer is provided as an elongate rectangular member, being tapered at one of its ends to a point. Mot preferably however the point may be flattened so as to provide a rest for use with a marking instrument such as a pen or pencil.

The measurer may be provided with a series of graduations which indicate increments between the sizes of individual templates.

Preferably each template and measurer is individually coded.

The graduations and code marks are typically printed onto the templates and measurers using ink. To improve resistance to wear or the like, the ink may be a UV ink that is resistant to both aqueous solutions and spirit alcohol or other solvents. In this way, the templates and measurer may be safely washed without loss of integrity to the graduations.

The templates and measuring means may be provided with a storage facility, typically in the form of a box or file.

The box or file may be provided with a series of sections, wherein each section is sized to store an individual template. In a preferred embodiment each section is sized such that the individual templates form a row of even height when occupying their respective section. Accordingly, any template occupying the wrong section is easily identified.

In an alternative embodiment each individual template may be provided with an aperture which allows for the frequent removal or replacement on a ring or clip.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of measuring a tile or sheet material for use in a DIY process, the method involving the use of one or more templates in combination to define an outline of a shape or area and comprising: 1. Identifying the outline of a shape or area; 2. Selecting a template of closest dimension to the shape or area by placement of the template at or adjacent to the shape or area (possibly by trial and error);

3. Positioning said template on the tile or sheet material; 4. Drawing the outline of the template on the tile or sheet material; 5. Repeating steps 2,3 and 4 until the desired shape or area has been fully defined; and 6. Cutting the tile or sheet material to the dimensions as outlined by the one or more templates.

The method detailed above may be adapted to meet the requirements of a curved section by using a measurer, as described in the first aspect of the present invention, to provide more accurate measurements.

In order to provide a better understanding of the invention, embodiments will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a series of templates in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a series of templates in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates a measurer that is used in connection with a series of templates to obtain accurate measurements, in accordance with the present invention; Figure 4 illustrates a storage means for storing and transporting a series of templates;

Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a storage and transporting means for a series of templates; Figures 6a and 6b illustrate the templates of Figure 1 in use; and Referring firstly to Figure 1 a series of four templates are generally depicted at 1,2,3 and 4. The series of templates are generally based on derivatives of a square, each individual template having progressively larger fractions of the parent square removed. For example the series in the depicted embodiment ranges from a pentagon 1, which is essentially a square shape with a corner section removed thereof, through to a triangle 4, which is essentially a square shape cut in half. Each of the series of templates 1,2,3 and 4 have a measuring rule 5, on at least on one leading edge. The rule may be imperial or metric or have a combination of imperial and metric measures, as desired. It will appreciated that whilst a series of four templates is depicted in the current embodiment, the number of templates in such a series is not limited.

In Figure 2 an alternative series of templates are generally depicted at 6,7 and 8 which range from a square 6 through to a rectangle 8. Each of the series of templates 6,7 and 8 have a measuring rule 5 on at least one leading edge. Again, whilst a series of three is generally depicted herein, the number of templates in the series is not limited and the series may incorporate any number of templates.

It will also be appreciated that whilst Figures 1 and 2 depict templates in the shape of, and derived from a square, other simple shapes may also be used. For example the templates may be in the form of other simple shapes such as circles, triangles and pentagons. In addition it is envisaged that a series'of templates will include a number and variety of these different shapes.

The templates can be made from a variety of materials, for example they may be paper, card, plastic or thick polypropylene and are therefore relatively light and can be transported easily. Furthermore the templates crease proof and wear resistant such that they may be stored without damages or distortion to their shape and re-used when required. In addition the templates may be covered by a protective plastic or laminate material which aids cleaning of the templates.

Figure 3 illustrates a measurer 9 that can be used in co- operation with one or more templates to increase the accuracy of measurements taken and also to assist in taking non-linear outlines and measurements. The measurer 9 has detailed graduations 10 for more accurate measuring than are possible with the templates. The measurer 9 is used to accurately determine areas which fall between two template sizes. For example, in use, the measurer 9 can be aligned with a template (not shown) such that the point where the graduation marks overlap can be noted and therefore a more accurate measure can be taken.

The measurer 9 has an elongated rectangular body 11 which is tapered at one of its ends to a point 12. In an

alternative embodiment the point 12 may be flattened so that in use the flattened end can be used as a rest for a pencil or pen when marking out a section of tile or material. The measurer 9 may be made from a corresponding material to the templates, which may be plastic, card or paper, although it is envisaged that any suitable material could be used.

The measuring graduations 10 are printed onto the templates and measurer 9 in ink. The ink is a UV ink which is resistant to both aqueous solutions and spirit alcohols and accordingly the templates and measurer 9 can be washed or used in areas where there is surface water or moisture without detrimentally affecting the integrity of the graduations 10.

In Figure 4 a storage means for storing and transporting the series of templates is generally depicted at 13. The storage means 13 is a box which comprises a series of sections 14, each section being sized to hold a particularly sized individual template (not shown). It will be appreciated that the shape of the sections 14 will correspond to the shape of the templates which it is intended to store. For example the section 14 may be essentially rectangular as shown in Figure 4 or alternatively circular, triangular or any other simple shape which corresponds to the templates. In addition it is recognised that while the box 13 in Figure 4 has eight sections 14, and therefore can store eight templates, the number of sections 14 is not limited to this number. The sections 14 are sized such that the row of templates (not shown) are of uniform height when they are stored correctly in the box 13, for example it can be seen in Figure 4 that the size of sections increase incrementally

to correspond with the series of templates it is intended for use with. Any template which is put into the wrong storage section can therefore be easily identified by sight. The storage box 13 allows quick and easy location of the required shape and size of template when required, particularly when the series contains a large number of templates. In addition the storage box 13 may also be provided with a lid (not shown), which fits on the box and a handle (not shown) for carrying the storage box.

An alternative means for storing and transporting a series of templates is illustrated at 15 in Figure 6. In this embodiment each template 16 has an aperture 17 which allows the template 16 to be passed or threaded onto a key ring 18. The template 16 may be used while connected to the ring 18 or may be removed prior to use. The ring 18 maybe further be attached to a measurer 19 by the same means. In this embodiment, it is recognised that if the <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> keyring 18, is to be carried for example, attached to a belt, the template 16 and measurer 19 will be appropriately sized and will be made from a relatively lightweight material such as paper or card.

Figures 6a illustrate the templates 2 and 4 of Figure 1 combined to produce a template 20 for a tile to be fitted round a wall socket 23 shown in Figure 6b. Figure 6 also illustrates template 4 of Figure 1 and a further template 21 combined to produce another template 22 for use in 6b.

The template 20 is constructed so as a tile can be cut to fit into area 24 whilst template 22 is constructed to cut a tile to fit into area 25.

The templates are used in the following manner. The shape to be cut from the tile to fit into area 24 or 25 is defined by selecting individual templates 4,2 and 21

from a suitable series of templates to match the shape of the area which the tile is to be cut for. To some extent this can be done by trial and error, that is by chosing a template and lying it next to or adjacent to the area of interest. Any number of templates could be overlapped until a suitable shape is acheived. The templates are then placed on the tile to be cut and an outline of the required shape is drawn using a pen, pencil or marker.

The shape defined by the combination of templates is then cut out from the tile and positioned round the wall socket 23.

The measurer 3 of Figure 3 is used to accurately measure the size of the areas to be cut. As described previously, the measure 3 can be used in co-operation with one or more templates to accurately measure the lengths of tile to be cut. The measurer is also useful for measuring curved, non-linear areas, wherein a number of points can be accurately plotted on the tile and then joined to create a suitable curve or shape.

An advantage of the present invention is that there is provided a system for cutting tiles to fit awkward shapes.

A further advantage is that the template is inexpensive and easy to use.

A yet further advantage of the present invention is that the template system allows a user to tile a wall or floor space without the need for employing skilled tradesmen.

The present invention will also save the user both time and money as it simplifies the measuring process and reduces the amount of wastage of the material being cut.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the templates are flexible and can be fitted around awkward shapes and into hard to reach areas.

Further modifications and improvements may be added without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended.