EDGE TO A SURFACE

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)(1) of U.S. Provisional Application Serial Number 61/972,017, filed March 28, 2014, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a system, method and kit regarding application of a metal edge to a surface.

2. Background Information

[0003] Furniture with surfaces and/or work surfaces, such as countertops and panels, traditionally lack any identification as to its manufacturer when used by a customer. This can lead to confusion for the customer as to the identification of the manufacturer of the furniture. Such identification could be useful if the customer want to contact the manufacture regarding the surface and/or work surface or wishes to purchase a surface and/or work surface from the manufacturer.

[0004] In addition, if delicate edge details were to be added to the above mentioned surfaces and/or work surfaces, it would typically result in high stone fabrication costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One aspect of the present invention regards a surface that includes a three- dimensional surface, wherein a notch is present in said three-dimensional surface. The surface further includes a metal edge inserted into the notch and attached to the three- dimensional surface.

[0006] A second aspect of the present invention regards a method of

manufacturing a surface that includes forming a notch within a three-dimensional surface and inserting a metal edge within the notch. The method further includes attaching the inserted metal edge to the three-dimensional surface.

[0007] One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of identifying the manufacturer of a surface, such as a work surface or a panel,

[0008] One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of allowing for the creation of delicate edge details without costly fabrication costs.

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the present invention. Note that the drawings are all depictions of some of the concepts and profiles of the hardware and cross sections of the notched countertop edges with metal profiles applied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0010] In the drawings:

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a perspective and exploded view of a first embodiment of a work surface in accordance with the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2A shows an embodiment of an outer corner piece to be used with the work surface of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 2B shows an embodiment of an inner corner piece in accordance with the present invention; [0014] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an outer corner piece to be used with the work surface of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a straight piece to be used with the work surface of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

[0016] FIGS. 5A-G show possible engravements to be used with the work surface of FIG. 1 and the corner and straight pieces of FIGS. 2A-B, 3 and 4;

[0017] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a tab in accordance with the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a handle in accordance with the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of work surface that uses the handle of FIG. 7 in accordance with the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of work surface that uses the handle of FIG. 7 in accordance with the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 10 shows an enlarged perspective view of the work surface and handle of FIG. 9;

[0022] FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a piping element in accordance with the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of backsplash that uses the piping element of FIG. 11 in accordance with the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a work surface that uses the piping element of FIG. 11 in accordance with the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a work surface that uses the piping element of FIG. 11 in accordance with the present invention; [0026] FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a sales/presentation kit when an associated presentation box is in a closed position in accordance with the present invention, wherein the sales/presentation kit is to be used for one or more of the work surfaces and metal edges of FIGS. 1-14;

[0027] FIG. 16 shows the sales/presentation kit of FIG. 15 when the associated presentation box is in an opened position;

[0028] FIG. 17 shows the sales/presentation kit of FIG. 15 when the associated presentation box is in an opened position and when the top tray has been removed;

[0029] FIG. 18 shows the sales/presentation kit of FIG. 15 when the associated presentation box is in an opened position and when the contents have been removed; and

[0030] FIG. 19 shows an enlarged view of the sales/presentation kit of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] In general, the present invention regards a surface that is machined so as to receive a metal edge so that when viewed as a whole defines a new surface, such as a panel or a work surface, such as a countertop. The machined surface can be decorative in appearance with the inclusion of the metal edge, and the metal edge can be functional in that it can be used to have work performed thereon and it can be used to identify, brand and market the surface and its associated furniture by providing unique manufacturer logos and recognizable edge profiles.

[0032] An embodiment of a work surface is shown in FIG. 1 is exemplary of basic principles regarding the other embodiments of FIGS. 2B and 6-19 and so will be described herein. In particular, a surface 100 defines a right parallelepiped. Of course, other three dimensional shapes to define the surface are possible. The length, width, thickness of the surface 100 can be any value depending on the intended use of the surface 100. The surface 100 can be made of any material. An example of a suitable material is quartz, such as the quartz manufactured by Caesarstone.

[0033] The surface 100 is worked with a tool so as to form a notch 102 in its sides. In particular, the notch 102 can be formed manually by using one or more tools, such as a router or a shaper with a specific router or shaping bit, which can be presented in a tool kit (not shown). The tool kit can also include pieces of a metal edge and a metal cutting tool to cut the pieces to a desired length. The tool kit can include surfacing samples with notching.

[0034] The notch 102 is preferably rectangular in cross-section. In the

embodiment of FIG. 1, the notch extends around the side walls 104 of the surface. Note that the notch can be formed in other areas of the surface 100 as shown in FIGS. 8-10 and 12-14. For example, a notch can be formed at one of the corners 106, one of the edges 108 and the top surface 110. Furthermore, there could me multiple disconnected notches formed at different areas of the surface depending on the desired work surface to be produced.

[0035] Within the notch 102, a metal edge 112 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 1, the metal edge 112 can be made of multiple metal pieces that are interconnected to one another by a male connector 114 and a female connector 116. In particular, the female connector 116 is a U-shaped slot that receives a complementary male connector 114 so as to define a male/female connection.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, a pre-assembled corner piece 118 is inserted into a portion of a corner of the notch 102. The corner piece 118 has two sides 120, 122 that are integrally formed with one another, wherein side 120 has a male connector 114 and side 122 has a female connector 116. The sides 120 and 122 are equal in length and form a right angle. Of course, other shapes and dimensions for the corner piece 118 are possible, such as having unequal lengths for the sides and the sides form an angle other than 90 degrees.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, straight pieces 124 and 126 are inserted into central sections 128 and 130, respectively, of the notch 102. The male connector 114 of corner piece 118 engages a female connector 116 of the straight piece 124 and the female connector 116 of corner piece 118 engages a male connector 114 of the other straight piece 126.

[0038] Not shown in FIG. 1 is that the straight pieces 124 and 126 will engage with the male connectors 114 and female connectors 116 of corner pieces 118 at two other corners of the notch 102. In addition, a second set of straight pieces 124 and 126 are placed in central sections of the notch 102 that are positioned opposite to the central sections 128 and 130, respectively. The second set of straight pieces 124 and 126 are connected with the previously mentioned corner pieces and a fourth corner piece placed in the remaining corner portion of the notch 102. The various straight pieces 124, 126 and corner pieces 118 are attached within the notch 102 by using an adhesive between the surface of the notch 102 and a rear side of each of the straight and corner pieces. Of course, other attachment structures between the surface 100 and the metal pieces 118, 124, and 126. For example, mechanical devices, such as pins, could be used alone or in combination with the adhesive to attach the metal pieces 118, 124, 126 to the surface 100. When all the above mentioned straight pieces 124, 126 and corner pieces 118 are attached to one another and positioned with the notch 102, a work surface 132 is formed that includes the notched surface 100 and a rectangular metal edge 134. [0039] The work surface 132 of FIG. 1 is but an example of a possible result of the use of the metallic pieces and sections mentioned previously. It is envisioned that the straight pieces 124 and 126 and the corner pieces 118 are pre-fabricated by being cut to a size based on a particular work surface or panel to be formed and into various

decorative/function profiles and sizes. For example, the length, height, and width of the corner piece 118 can be varied based on the workpiece to be formed as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 3. Similarly, the length, height, and width of the straight pieces 124 and 126 can be varied as illustrated in FIG 4. In addition, besides an outside corner piece 118, a prefabricated inside corner piece 136 of various lengths, heights, and widths can be manufactured as shown in FIG. 2B so as to provide edging for work surfaces that have an inside corner. Note that under certain circumstances, the outside corner piece 118 can be flipped so as to provide an inside corner piece 136.

[0040] Many types of finishes for the metal pieces are possible, such as stainless steel, brushed stainless steel, polished stainless steel, bronze, carbon, braided metals and copper patina. The use of pre-fabricated corner pieces 118 and 136 eliminate the need for miter cutting and joint fitting at corners, which is often a problem with fabricators who are not used to working with metals. Note that in certain circumstances, the metal edge can be a single piece. In addition, the thickness of the metal edge can be constant throughout or variable.

[0041] As can be readily understood by the previous description, the work surface

132 of FIGS. 1, 2A, 3 and 4 provides many advantages. For example, it demonstrates a modular system that can be applied to any building material and is easily stocked, shipped and assembled. The metal edge functions as a joining element, wherein seams become details, materials can be mixed and waste is reduced. Use of the metal edge will result in a reduction in service calls to repair chipped edges since the metal edge provides edge protection at comers and sinks. The use of the metal edge also provides opportunities for providing decorative designs thereon. Also, the metal edge provides the opportunity to laser etch/engrave text on an exterior facing side of either of the sections 118, 124 and 126, which can be used to brand the work surface 132 with a logo, the name of the manufacturer or other identifying symbol, such as a trademark. Examples of such engraved text are shown in FIGS. 5 A-G.

[0042] Based on the above principles, various work surfaces can be formed. For example, suppose at one of the sides of the notch 102 of FIG. 1 the straight section 124 does not have a sufficient length to be connected to the corner pieces 118. In this case, the straight section 124 is cut with the metal cutting tool of the previously mentioned tool kit so as to form two pieces of the same length. The two pieces are inserted and attached with the notch 102 and attached to the comer pieces 118 as describe previously. This will result in a gap forming between the two pieces. The gap is hidden by inserting a tab 138, as shown in FIG. 6, into the gap. The tab 138 can have various lengths, heights and widths depending on the work surface being formed. The tab 138 is attached within the notch 102 using either an adhesive or other attachment structures as previously discussed with respect to the attachment of metal pieces 118, 124, and 126. The tab 138 can also include etching/engraving as previously described with respect to the metal pieces 118, 124 and 126.

[0043] As another example, suppose at one of the sides of the notch 102 of FIG. 1 the straight section 124 is too long to be connected to the comer pieces 118. In this case, the straight section 124 is cut by the metal cutting tool of the previously mentioned tool kit so that a middle portion is removed and the two remaining pieces are of the same length. The combined length of the two remaining pieces is such that when the pieces are connected to the corner pieces 118 no gap is formed between the straight pieces. The two pieces are inserted and attached with the notch 102 and attached to the corner pieces 118 as describe previously.

[0044] The previously described edgings regard an edging that surrounds a portion of the surface 100 and is below the top surface 110 of the surface 100. The edgings can be formed solely on the top surface 110 or both the top surface 110 and one or more side surfaces 104 of the surface 100. In the latter case, a handle 140 can be inserted into an L- shaped notch formed in the top surface 110 and a side surface 104 of the surface 100. The notch is manufactured using the tools of the tool kit mentioned previously. An example of a handle 140 to be inserted into the notch is shown in FIG. 7. The length, thickness and the size of the L-shaped cross-section of the handle 140 can be varied depending on the type of work surface to be formed. The handle 140 is attached within the notch using an adhesive or other attachment structures as previously discussed with respect to the attachment of metal pieces 118, 124, and 126. Examples of handles 140 are shown in FIGS. 8-10. Note that the handle 140 can include etching/engraving as previously described with respect to the metal pieces 118, 124 and 126.

[0045] Besides the metal edge 134 of FIGS. 1-6 and the handle 140 of FIGS. 7-10, the present invention can be used to form various types of piping elements. An example of a piping element 142 is shown in FIG. 11. The piping element 142 is in the form of a parallelepiped, wherein the length, width and height can have various values based on its intended use. One use for the piping element 142 is as a transition between two surfaces of a counter piece. As shown in FIG. 12, a rectangular groove is formed along the bottom length of a backsplash 144 that is adjacent to a counter surface 146. The notch is manufactured using the tools of the tool kit mentioned previously. The piping element 142 is attached within the notch using an adhesive or other attachment structures as previously discussed with respect to the attachment of metal pieces 118, 124, and 126.

[0046] The piping element 142 can be used as a bead detail. As shown in FIG. 13, a rectangular groove is formed between an exterior edge 148 of an inner top surface 150 and an interior edge 152 of an outer top surface 154. A first piping element 142A is attached within a portion of the notch using an adhesive or other attachment structures as previously discussed with respect to the attachment of metal pieces 118, 124, and 126. An end of the first piping element 142A abuts against the interior edge 152 of the outer top surface 154. A second piping element 142B is attached within the remaining portion of the notch using an adhesive or other attachment structures as previously discussed with respect to the attachment of metal pieces 118, 124, and 126. An end of the second piping element 142B abuts against a side of the end of the first piping element 142 A. A similar example of such a use of plural piping elements is shown in FIG. 14.

[0047] In order to illustrate the benefits of the edging of the present invention and in order to instruct others on how to install the edging previously described with respect to FIGS. 1-14, a presentation or sales kit 200 is stored in a presentation box 202 shown in FIG. 15. The presentation box 200 is rectangular in shape and has metallic top and bottom edges 204, 206. Of course, other shapes for presentation box 200 are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The presentation box 200 also may or may not have rectangular openings 207 formed in its side walls 210 in other to define handles for carrying the presentation box 202. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the presentation box has a hinged top lid 212. When the lid 212 is opened, it reveals a top tray 214 that has slots to contain samples of straight metal pieces 206, handles 207, and comer metal pieces 208 with different profiles and finishes, tabs 220 having text etched thereon a manual 222 regarding the edging, and a USB flash drive 224. Note that the straight pieces 206, the handles 207, and the corner pieces 208 can also include text etched thereon. The tray 214 may also have slots to receive the previously described piping elements 142. The flash drive 224 can include application instructions, an instructional video of surface machining using the tool kit and installation of the metal pieces previously described with respect to FIGS. 1-14. The flash drive 224 can also provide application instructions, adhesive and finishing tips, and use and care

instructions. When the top tray 214 is removed, it reveals various sample blocks 226 that have been machined to receive the straight sections 206. The sample blocks have various finishes to allow an observer to envision how a surface similar to a sample block will look when receiving one or more of the previously described straight metal pieces 206, handles 207, corner metal pieces 208 and tabs 220. The sample blocks 226 are positioned within corresponding vertical slots 228 defined by vertical walls/dividers located within the presentation box 202 and show various materials for the notched surface that is to receive the metal pieces 206 and 208.

[0048] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof.