Patent ID: 6756006
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: B44C,E04F

Abstract:
A method of decorating a substrate comprising:a) providing a hand tool for decorating a substrate comprising a container unit having a planar bottom having a circular perimeter, a circular sidewall, the sidewall having an inside surface and an outside surface, the circular sidewall being attached to the planar bottom and extending from the planar bottom, a top rim on the sidewall spaced from the planar bottom, the top rim being circular and having an inside diameter, a longitudinal axis extending from the bottom to the top rim, and a handle on the outside surface of the sidewall; an applicator unit having a body having a bottom surface having an oval-shaped outer perimeter with a major dimension and a minor dimension with the major dimension being larger than the minor dimension and smaller than the inside diameter of the top rim of the sidewall of said container unit, a planar top surface having an oval-shaped outer surface having a major dimension and a minor dimension with the major dimension of the top surface of the body of said applicator unit being larger than the minor dimension of the top surface of the body of said applicator unit and smaller than the major dimension of the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit and the minor dimension of the top surface of the body of said applicator unit being smaller than the minor dimension of the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit, and a conical sidewall connecting the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit to the top surface of the body of said applicator unit, an L-shaped handle on the top surface of the body of said applicator unit and having a first leg with a proximal end on the top surface of the body of said applicator unit and a distal end spaced apart from the top surface of the body of said applicator unit, a second leg having one end on the distal end of the first leg of the L-shaped handle and extending parallel to the planar top surface of the body of said applicator unit; and a relief pattern unit on the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit, the relief pattern unit including a multiplicity of flexible pattern elements which are spaced apart from each other, each pattern element of the multiplicity of flexible pattern elements having a base attached to the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit and an end surface spaced apart from the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit, a multiplicity of open-ended cavities each defined between adjacent pattern elements and defined by adjacent pattern elements and the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit, and the flexible pattern elements being compressible toward the bottom surface of the body of said applicator unit; b) placing compound in the container unit; c) forcing the applicator unit into the container unit past the top rim of the container unit and toward the planar bottom of the container unit in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the container unit; d) pressing the relief pattern into the compound in the container unit; e) forcing compound into the cavities of the relief pattern unit; f) moving the applicator unit in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the container unit towards and past the top rim of the container unit; g) applying the relief pattern unit with compound in the cavities of the relief pattern unit to a substrate; h) pressing the applicator unit toward the substrate to compress the flexible pattern elements and creating contact between the compound in the cavities of the relief pattern unit and the substrate; i) holding the applicator unit against the substrate until at least some of the compound in the cavities of the relief pattern unit adheres to the substrate; j) removing the applicator unit from contact with the substrate; and k) leaving the compound that has adhered to the substrate on the substrate.