The present invention concerns an apparatus for applying glue on coatings and the like to be laid down.

More in detail, the invention concerns an apparatus of the said kind, which enables to apply glue automatically on the coupling surface of any coating, like gres, ceramic gres, marble etc. , skirting board, etc. in a way that is uniform and optimal for subsequent laying.

As it is well known, in laying the abovementioned products that are applied by gluing, glue affixing is mainly operated manually.

Besides, apparatuses exist for the automatic application of glue.

In this direction, the prior art, in the field of the apparatuses for laying down floors and coatings, is only represented by apparatuses that, due to their dimensions and handling difficulties, have been used mainly in the realisation of floors in industrial and/or commercial buildings, where the dimensions of the different laying areas allow to use them with a fruitful time saving.

The drawback of the apparatuses today on the market is that they are not properly suitable in floor laying in civil buildings, where, due to the small dimensions of the different rooms, their use is difficult and expensive.

In the light of the above, the applicant realised and set an apparatus that can solve the abovementioned problems, providing for an apparatus suitable in any case.

It is therefore a specific object of the present invention an apparatus for applying glue on coatings and the like to be laid down comprising a support frame, means for supporting the product on which the glue is to be applied, means for containing and applying the glue, and means for putting forward the product along the frame below said means for containing and applying the glue.

Preferably, said means for supporting the product provides for a support for a stack of products placed in a vertical pile.

According to the invention, said means for containing and applying the glue provide for means for uniform distribution of the glue on the surface of the product.

Moreover, according to the invention, said means for containing and applying the glue are constituted by four lateral walls, the inferior

surface being closed by the surface of the product on which the glue is to be applied, said glue being applied under gravity.

Further according to the invention, means are provided for the regulation, according to the dimensions of the product, of the dimensions of said means for containing and applying the glue, preferably comprising two horizontal steel bars placed at the ends of the frame and made integral with the vertical posts by means of two screw pins.

Besides, said frame can be located on wheels for its moving.

According to the invention, said means for putting forward the product along the frame comprise a first portion, in the product support area, and a second portion, level with the means for containing and applying the glue, in particular, a belt on which a pivot is applied for pushing forward the product horizontally, and two parallel lines of wheels on which the product to be laid down can slide freely.

Said putting forward means can be operated by a motor, or manually.

Further according to the invention, said putting forward means can be constituted by a line of rollers, preferably in a plastic material, along which the product is pushed horizontally by hand.

The present invention will be now described, for illustrative but non-limitative purposes, according to its favourite embodiments, in particular making reference to the enclosed drawings, in which: figure 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; figure 2 is a right lateral view of the apparatus of figure 1; figure 3 is a left lateral view of the apparatus of figure 1; figure 4 is a rear view of the apparatus of figure 1; figure 5 is a front view of the apparatus of figure 1; figure 6 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; figure 7 is a right lateral view of the apparatus of figure 6; figure 8 is a rear view of the apparatus of figure 6; figure 9 is a front view of the apparatus of figure 6; figure 10 is a top plan view of a third embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; figure 11 is a right lateral view of the apparatus of figure 10; figure 12 is a left lateral view of the apparatus of figure 10;

figure 13 is a rear view of the apparatus of figure 10; and figure 14 is a front view of the apparatus of figure 10.

Starting with looking through figures 1-5 and 6-9, it can be noted how the apparatus according to the invention comprises a frame 1, in painted steel, assembled on wheels 2 and on which the various components are placed, which are system 3 for moving tiles, area 4 for stockpiling material to be laid down, moving line 5, and glue applicator 6.

The moving system 3 is automatic in the embodiment shown in figures 1-5 and manual in the embodiment shown in figures 6-9.

Reference being made to figures 1-5, the automatic moving system provides for the use of an electric motor 7 that, through a drive belt and reducer system, moves the moving line 5.

The horizontal moving speed of the moving line 5 is about 6 cm/sec.

In the manual moving system of figures 6-9, the moving line is moved by a handle through a toothed wheel mounted at the axis centre.

Both moving systems 3 are located in the initial portion of frame 1, and below the area 4 for stockpiling material to be laid down.

The stockpiling area 4 is located in the initial portion of the apparatus and on this area elements of material to be laid down are introduced.

Moving line 5 is that portion of the apparatus that enables the movement of the material to be laid down from the stockpiling area 4 to the opposite end, where it is seized by the layer, passing the tile through the glue applicator 6.

Line 5 is made of a first portion, located in the area 4 for material stockpiling, realised with a belt on which a pivot 8 is applied, made in Teflon@, which pushes the tile horizontally, and of a second portion made of two parallel lines of wheels 9 on which the material to be laid down slides freely.

The movement of the tile in this second portion is given by the subsequent tile, which is in the stockpiling area and is pushed by the Teflone pivot 8.

Glue applicator 6 is made of four shaped sheets, forming a tank for glue, while in the front part a metallic rake 10 is located with 5 mm protruding teeth. As it is evident, teeth dimensions vary according to the dimensions and the kind of material constituting the tile.

In a preferred embodiment the apparatus has the following dimensions: 450 mm in height, varying from 1060 mm to 2000 mm in length, varying from 200 to 600 mm in width.

The possibility of enlarging and narrowing the apparatus allows to lay down tiles whose forms and dimensions vary from 20 cm to 60 cm; this adjustment is obtained by means of two horizontal steel bars located at the ends of the frame and which are made integral with the vertical posts by means of two screw pins.

The method of operating the apparatus shown in figures 1-5 and 6-9 provides for the following operating phases: The width of the frame is set according to the tiles to be laid down, for instance for a tile of 30 x 30 cm, the couple of longitudinal element of the frame are placed at 31 cm.

The first tile is introduced manually below the glue applicator and the glue in the tank of the applicator is applied.

The tiles are positioned, in a number up to ten, in the stockpiling area, with their rough side upward.

In the electric motor version the apparatus is started by a switch, while in the manual version the handle is operated.

The first tile positioned in the stockpile area, pushed by the Teflone pivot, shifts horizontally and pushes in its turn the tile positioned below the glue applicator, obtaining a controlled glue distribution on tile with about 5 mm in thickness.

At this point the apparatus reaches the permanent condition, the operator seizes the first tile passing below the glue applicator and lays it down on the surface where it has to be applied. Subsequent tiles, pushed by the following ones, pass continuously with a constant speed below the glue applicator and go toward the front portion of the apparatus, where they are in their turn seized and laid down.

Coming to looking through figures 10 to 14, it is shown a further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, intentionally realised for applying glue on a skirting.

The apparatus is composed by a T shaped frame 11, in painted steel, mounted in the back on two wheels 12. On the frame 11 are positioned the different components, more precisely the moving line 13 and the glue applicator 16.

The moving line 13 is made up of a line of rollers, in plastic material, along which the skirting in pushed horizontally by hand.

The glue applicator 16 is composed by four shaped sheets forming the glue tank, while a metallic rake 20 is located in the front part with about 5 mm protruding teeth. As it is evident, the rake teeth dimensions are, anyway, variable according to the kind and dimensions of the skirting to be laid down.

In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus shown in figures 10 - 14 has the following dimensions: 355 mm in height, 710 mm in length and 450 mm in maximum overall width.

The method of operating the apparatus provides for the following operating phases: The first skirting tile is introduced manually below the glue applicator and the glue is applied in the tank of the applicator.

A second skirting tile is positioned, immediately after that below the glue applicator.

The second skirting tile is pushed by hand and pushes in its turn the skirting tile positioned below the glue applicator.

In this way the first tile exits from the applicator with glue uniformly spread and ready to be laid down, while the following tile enters below the applicator.

Phases b), c) and d) are repeated.

Benefits of the present invention with respect to a traditional application can be summarised in this way: the removal by the layer of laying in advance the glue on the surface of application, such as floor or wall ; a smaller phisical effort by the operator, since he does not need to kneel down (in the case of floors) to lay down glue on the surface to floor; a lesser time in laying down tiles since the operator does not need to apply the glue and does not need to operate on tiles in order to level the surface, since the glue layer applied by the apparatus is uniform; while if manually applied on the laying down surface there is a glue thickness lack of homogeneity and therefore the need to level le tiles applied; a faster speed in glue application and in tile's laying down ;

a saving of the glue to be used due to the fact that the apparatus uniformly applies about 5 mm of glue on the tile, whereas with a manual application of glue is always obtained a heterogeneous layer of greater thickness; a greater application comfort to the operator that, even if he has to take the same position as in traditional methods, does not have to move the body to lay down glue on the floor and to level the tiles already laid down, such movements being made, as it is known, with the body in uncomfortable positions.

The described benefits all cooperate to obtain an economic saving from one side, due to the less laying down time and the smaller amount of glue to apply, and from the other side a minor physical effort of the layer.

As far as the benefits of the proposed apparatus are concerned, with respect to other apparatuses currently used, the consist in the apparatus compactness and small dimension, which enables its use even in civil building construction and renovation, even in rooms such as bathrooms and closets.

Obviously, as the apparatuses already in use, the proposed invention has the great benefit, with respect to a manual application, of having a high laying down productivity when it is used for laying down floors and coatings in big areas such as those of industrial and/or commercial premises.

Finally, the possibility of width regulation gives to the proposed apparatus a considerable versatility, enabling the laying down of tiles of different forms and dimensions.

The present invention was described for illustrative, but non- limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications can be produced by the skilled in the art, without for this departing from the related scope of protection, as defined in the enclosed claims.