Abstract:
Sanding pads are disclosed. A sanding pad has at least about 1/32 inch thickness, having one top flat surface and an opposite flat bottom surface. The top and bottom surfaces are capable of providing attachment for an abrasive material, such as a pressure adhesive sand paper. The sanding pad is formed of various geometric shapes and made from an expanded PVT material which has a Shore D durometer hardness value between 30 and 60. The sanding pad comes in a kit that includes several sanding pads, each of a different shape and situated purpose.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/111,423, filed Feb. 2, 2015, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Sanding pads or coated abrasive sheet materials have many useful applications. One particularly useful application may include sanding vehicle body parts of various geometrical shapes and sizes as a preparation for a paint finish. Several factors may impact the efficiency and adequacy of the sanding block, including the grit size of the sandpaper, the size and shape or the pad, and whether the sandpaper is attached to a backing or tool. 
         [0003]    One past method of sanding included a user holding a piece of sandpaper in his hands and rubbing it against the surface to be sanded. Many applications require hand sanding where the user will grasp a coated abrasive sheet in his hand and apply it to the surface being treated. However, this method provides an unreliable sanded product as a result of the variable pressure exerted by the user&#39;s hands when sanding the object. Improper positioning will cause uneven abrasion of the treated surface. Irregular pressure, such as caused by the fingers against the back side of the abrasive sheet in use, produces an irregular abraded surface. 
         [0004]    Another known method of sanding includes the use of a tool developed to aid in the sanding process. Early holding tools or devices used for this purpose were inflexible blocks of solid material such as wood over which the coated abrasive sheet was wrapped. Later a self-adhering coated abrasive sheet material using pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on its back side was developed, so that, it may be adhered directly to the working face of a sanding block. For the most part, this means of attachment assures exposure of the entire abrasive face of the abrasive sheet. Other tools constructed of soft rubber or flexible materials were developed, but because of the flexibility do not provide a consistently uniform finished product because the material deforms as it contacts raised areas in the product being sanded, often causing a washboard effect, ribs, or ripples in the product. The deficiencies encountered by hand-sanding or using a tool must be corrected by the user spending additional and unnecessary time and effort sanding the uneven portions of the product. 
         [0005]    A need therefore exists for a sanding tool that operates to provide a material that is rigid enough to not deform against raised areas, but flexible enough to on low spots to provide a consistent, smooth sanded finish on a product. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. 
         [0007]    The sanding pads are designed to conform to the shape of a particular structure to be sanded or otherwise worked on and designed not to conform to dips or raising projections in the structure to be sanded. They enable smooth professional finishes without washboard effects, as they allow the abrasive material to conform to a particular shape of the structure without the need to add filler or primer. The material of expansion PVC allows for linear thermal expansion up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to allow for the product to be outdoors with becoming brittle or receiving permanent dimensional damage. 
         [0008]    The sanding pad of at least about 1/32 inch thickness has one top flat surface and an opposite flat bottom surface, the top and bottom surfaces being capable of providing attachment for an abrasive material, said pad being formed of a material which has a Shore D durometer hardness value between 30 and 60, or more specifically between 34 and 55. The shore D durometer hardness value could be that of Komatex®, which is between 48 and 55. The sanding pad may also be between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. The abrasive material supported by a paper substrate may be attached to the bottom surface of said pad by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive. The abrasive material may be removable. The abrasive material may be wrapped about the sanding pad. 
         [0009]    The sanding pad may include a handle permanently attached to the top surface of the pad. The handle may be more than one piece. The sanding pad is adapted to be connected to a driving means or a tool. 
         [0010]    The sanding pad may be formed into various geometric shapes and sizes, such as rectangular, semi-circular, circular, square, etc., and may further include at least one cut out along a length thereof. The cut-out may be formed so as to match an outer surface on a structure to be sanded, and therefore meant to service a single purpose. 
         [0011]    The sanding pads may be included as part of a sanding kit containing a multiplicity of sanding tools of various shapes, sizes, lengths, and thicknesses. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
           [0013]    A further understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in a first embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in a second embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in a third embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in a fourth embodiment; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is an exploded side view of the sanding pad of the invention in the third embodiment in combination with an adhesive sanding material; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is an assembled side view of the invention including the sanding pad and adhesive sanding material; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in a fifth embodiment; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is side perspective view of the sanding pad of the invention in the fifth embodiment in combination with an adhesive sanding material. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. It is also noted that any reference to the words top, bottom, up and down, and the like, in this application refers to the alignment shown in the various drawings, as well as the normal connotations applied to such devices, and is not intended to restrict positioning of the connecting member assemblies of the application and cooperating bone anchors in actual use. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , in one embodiment, a sanding device comprises a sanding pad  10  having two opposed surfaces  11  and  13  and a side surface  15 , each capable of receiving abrasive material ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0024]    The sanding pad  10  may be a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the application. For example, as shown in the  FIGS. 1-4 , the pad may come in various geometric shapes, such as rectangular ( FIGS. 3-4 ), circular ( FIG. 1 ), semi-circular ( FIG. 2 ) shapes, which may allow the pads  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  to be used with tools such as a power sander to which the pads may be attached. It is foreseen that a variety of shapes will be sold as a kit, as each shape may be conformed to a specific task. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , in one embodiment, a sanding device comprises a sanding pad  110  having two opposed surfaces  111  and  113  and a side surface  115 , each capable of receiving abrasive material ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , in another embodiment, a sanding device comprises a sanding pad  210  having two opposed surfaces  211  and  213  and a side surfaces  214 ,  215 ,  216 ,  217 , each capable of receiving abrasive material  20  ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, a sanding device comprises a sanding pad  310  having two opposed surfaces  311  and  313  and a side surfaces  314 ,  315 ,  316 ,  317 , each capable of receiving abrasive material ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0028]    The sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 , 310  may be made of any appropriate material capable of maintaining its shape while sanding uneven surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the material may be expanded sheet polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Expanded sheet PVC may be especially useful because of the strength of the material which may prevent the deformation of the material as the sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  moves over an uneven surface. In some embodiments, the expanded sheet PVC may have a Shore D durometer hardness value of between about 30 and 60, and more preferably, between 34 and 55. Another example, such as Komatex® material, the Shore D durometer hardness value is between 48 and 55 and the flexural strength between 20 and 30 N/mm 2 . Softer and more flexible materials tend to bow at contact with raised portions of the surface of the product to be sanded. While this may remove any inconsistencies at the top level of the surface, the raised portions themselves may not be sanded down without significant effort of the user. The result may be a product with an undulating surface, rather than a smooth surface. 
         [0029]    In contrast, sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  does not bow at contact with inconsistencies in the surface of a product needing sanding. When the sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  comes into contact with a raised portion of the surface of a product, the raised portion is sanded down until the surface is perfectly smooth. However, depending on the thickness of the sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310 , the sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  may be bent to generally conform to the shape of the product. The thinner the pad, the more it the pad can be bent; the thicker the pad, the less give the material will offer, preventing the pad from bending beyond a minimal amount, if at all. Regardless of the amount of bend in the material, when bent, the expanded sheet PVC may become a perfect arc, thereby allowing curved portions of the product to be sanded. Additionally, the pads  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  may come in a variety of thicknesses in a set of pads, and may be at least 1/32 inch thick, and more preferably, between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIGS. 5-6 , an abrasive material  20  may be adhered to the underside  213  of pad  210  or wrapped around the pad  210  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , so that the material at least partially covers sides  213 ,  215 ,  211 . This allows for easy replacement of the abrasive material. Many methods of adhering the abrasive material  20  may be appropriate, including securing the abrasive material  20  to the underside  211  of the pad  210 , using Velcro® to secure a sheet of pre-prepared adhesive material to the pad, etc. It may be preferable, however, to secure a pressure-sensitive adhesive-coated abrasive material sheet  20  to the pad to prevent softening of the pad due to the Velcro® or the inability to replace the abrasive material. The expanded sheet PVC material may be such that the pressure-sensitive adhesive does not permanently adhere the abrasive material sheet  20  to the sanding pad  210 . 
         [0031]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 7-8 , the illustrated sanding pad  410  is shown with an abrasive material  420 . The sanding pad  410  may further include a handle  418  on one side  411 ,  413 ,  414 ,  415 ,  416 ,  417  of the pad  410  to allow for ease of operation of the pad  410 . The handle  418  may take a variety of appropriate shapes and sizes, such as rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, et cetera, to allow a user to easily operate the sanding pad  410  and may be formed as one piece or attached in a variety of methods, such as adhesion, bonding, and glue. The handle  418  is shown as a hollow cylinder adhered to the top side  411  of the sanding pad  410  via a PVC bonding agent. Additionally, while the illustrated handle  418  is running substantially along the length of the pad  410 , it is foreseen that the handle  418  could be any appropriate length, and further could be broken into multiple handles for ease of operation (e.g., one handle on each of two opposing ends of the top side  411  of the pad  410 ). 
         [0032]    Further, the handle  418  may be formed of the same PVC material as the pad  410  itself, or alternately may be formed of a different material, so long as the handle  418  can be attached to the sanding pad  410 . For example, the handle  418  may be made of a cloth or fabric adhered to opposing sides of the pads, allowing a user&#39;s hand to side through the fabric to maintain a grasp on the pad  410 . 
         [0033]    A single sheet of expanded sheet PVC may be provided from which the different shapes and sizes of the pads  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  may be procured. This may allow any number of shapes to be cut out of the expanded sheet PVC in order to meet the needs of the project with cut out dimensions less than 3 inches. For example, for a project with a small surface area, it may be appropriate to cut out a small square pad, while another project may require a pad having the shape of a triangle to get an edge into the tight corners. Any means of removing various shapes of sanding pads from a single sheet of expanded sheet PVC may be appropriate, including the use of table saws, band saws, CNC routers, punches, water jets, et cetera. 
         [0034]    Each sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  after being removed from the sheet of expanded sheet PVC, may have its edges sanded to prevent blunt-force trauma to the product as a result of hard corners or edges on the sanding pad  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310 . 
         [0035]    Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations may be of utility and may be employed within the scope of the disclosure. Further, various steps set forth herein may be carried out in orders that differ from those set forth herein without departing from the scope of the present methods. This description shall not be restricted to the above embodiments. 
         [0036]    It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.