Wallpaper trimmer

A hand-held wallpaper trimming tool which facilitates accurate and precise cutting of wallpaper along a joint between a wall being papered and an adjacent structural member. A guide portion is provided with a conical body member for resting against the adjacent structural member and gradually feeding the wallpaper into the joint, and with a flat flange attached at one edge tangentially to the body member for placement against the wall being papered and pressing the paper smoothly against that wall. A selectably extensible cutting blade, such as a single-edge injector razor blade, is mounted in a receptacle at the apex end of the body member and secured by a releasable fastener. The blade is oriented at an angle to the flange with its cutting edge facing in the direction of the plane of the flange. An elongate handle, projecting away from the body member and away from the flange is mounted at the base end of the body member for manipulating the device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to hand-held tools for trimming the edges of 
wallpaper during attachment of the wallpaper to a wall. 
In the hanging of wallpaper, that is, attaching strips of wallpaper to a 
wall, it is usually desirable to terminate the wallpaper strips precisely 
where the wall to which the strips are attached joins an adjacent 
structural member such as another wall, ceiling molding, floor baseboard 
or the like, so that there is no gap showing on the papered wall between 
the ends of the wallpaper strips and the aforementioned joint, or overlap 
of wallpaper onto the adjacent structural member, which would otherwise 
produce a disorderly and sloppy appearance. Ordinarily, this is 
accomplished by cutting the wallpaper strips to a length slightly greater 
than the distance they are to cover, pasting the strips to the wall and 
trimming their ends along a line produced by the joint between the papered 
wall and the adjacent structural member. Wallpaper is hung this way 
because the respective borders along which two opposing ends of a strip of 
wallpaper are to terminate typically are not spaced apart a consistent 
distance or precisely parallel to one another, and it is easy to make a 
slight, but significant, error in the length of the paper when measuring 
over a relatively great distance, such as about eight feet. Also, in many 
cases it is necessary to match the pattern on one strip of wallpaper with 
the pattern on an adjacent strip, and applying a strip of wallpaper which 
is slightly longer than necessary permits adjusting its position as it is 
attached thereby facilitating the proper matching of the patterns. 
The aforedescribed trimming aspect of hanging wallpaper is a particularly 
difficult, laborious and time consuming task which sometimes results in 
unsightly errors and increases the cost of having wallpaper hung 
professionally. Consequently, numerous tools have been designed in an 
attempt to alleviate the difficulties encountered in trimming wallpaper 
edges. For example, Stanley U.S. Pat. No. 2,473,551 discloses a wallpaper 
trimmer having an elongate handle with a razor blade holder attached to 
one end. However, the Stanley trimmer provides no means for ensuring that 
the wallpaper is cut at precisely the right point. Scholl U.S. Pat. No. 
3,724,010 also shows a hand-held wallpaper-trimming tool having a blade 
holder, a smoothing blade for guiding the wallpaper into place and a pair 
of guides disposed along respective edges of the smoothing blade to ensure 
that the cutting edge of the blade attacks the wallpaper at an angle to 
the wall on which it is placed, thereby preventing the production of a gap 
along the papered wall or overlap on the adjacent structural member due to 
the thickness of the cutting blade. While this design would seem to 
provide some advantages in trimming wallpaper, its shape would render 
cumbersome the positioning of the tool against a structural member 
adjacent the wall being papered and, due to the width of the guides 
relative to the length of the tool handle, substantial leverage is 
produced which could cause tipping of the tool during use, resulting in 
inaccurate cutting. 
Another relevant wallpaper trimmer, disclosed in Voight U.S. Pat. No. 
3,349,486, utilizes a pair of guide plates joined together at right angles 
to fit into the corner of a pair of perpendicular walls and a cutting 
blade which protrudes through the joint of the two guides to cut at a 
45.degree. angle from both walls. Although this device would facilitate 
trimming wallpaper at the joint between two perpendicular walls, it would 
be considerably less useful where the adjoining wall is not perpendicular 
or the wallpaper is to be trimmed along an adjacent structural member 
having a nonlinearly shaped edge, for example, rounded molding. In 
addition, no means is provided for gradually guiding the wallpaper from a 
wide curve into a sharp corner at the joint where it is to be trimmed. 
Ring U.S. Pat. No. 799,675 also shows a wallpaper cutting tool having a 
guide for positioning a cutting blade relative to a flat surface but, due 
to the obtuse angle between the blade and the guide, and to blade 
fastening hardware which protrudes outwardly from the plane of the blade, 
the tool would not be suitable for trimming wallpaper at many types of 
joints between a wall and an adjacent structural member, particularly 
where a perpendicular corner exists. 
Accordingly, there is a need for a wallpaper trimming tool which 
facilitates the trimming of wallpaper as it is hung such that the trimming 
may be accomplished with greater ease and precision, thereby reducing the 
time consumed in accomplishing trimming and reducing unsightly errors such 
as gaps along the papered wall and overlaps on an adjacent structural 
member. It would be desirable to provide such a device which positions a 
cutting blade precisely at the joint between the wall being papered and 
the adjacent structural member, and at an angle to the surface of the wall 
being papered. The tool also should be adapted to cut accurately and 
precisely at a variety of joints such as perpendicular walls, rounded 
molding adjoining a wall, or baseboard adjoining a wall. At the same time, 
such a device should smoothly guide the wallpaper gradually into the 
cutting joint to minimize any damage due to tearing or creasing. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention reduces the aforedescribed difficulties in trimming 
the ends of wallpaper as it is applied to a wall, overcomes the drawbacks 
of prior art trimming devices and meets the need for a more effective 
trimming device by providing a hand-held cutting tool having a geometry 
which ensures the proper positioning of its wallpaper trimming blade, is 
particularly adapted to fit into a variety of joints, and serves to draw 
wallpaper gradually into position in a joint for cutting. 
The principal part of the trimming tool of the present invention comprises 
a guide portion having a conical body member and a flat flange attached 
along one edge to the body member tangential to its conical surface such 
that the flange projects away from the edge where it is attached. The apex 
end of the conical body member, to which a cutting blade is attached, is 
designed to be drawn accurately along the joint line at which the 
wallpaper is to be cut, the base of the conical member facing in the 
direction of movement of the tool, with the result that the uncut 
wallpaper is drawn gradually and smoothly, that is, "focused", from a wide 
curve into the more sharply-curved joint where it is to be cut. Accurate 
positioning of the cutting blade is ensured due to the action of the 
flange, which rests against the wall being papered, and the outer conical 
surface of the body, which rests against the adjacent structural member, 
even where the adjoining structure is not perpendicular to the wall being 
papered or has a nonlinearly shaped edge such as molding, baseboard or the 
like. Also, the flange serves to press the wallpaper smoothly against the 
wall as the paper is being cut. 
A blade holder is attached to the guide member to accept a replaceable 
blade and position the blade at an angle to the wall being papered so that 
it cuts very nearly precisely at the joint of the outer surfaces of the 
wall and adjacent structural member, eliminating any gap or overlap 
otherwise produced by the width of the blade, and this angle is maintained 
by the flange which rests against the wall being papered. For convenience, 
the blade holder should accept a commonly available blade, such as a 
single-edge injector razor blade. The holder permits the distance which 
the blade projects outwardly to be adjustable, utilizing a finger-actuated 
fastener for readily tightening and releasing the blade. 
In addition, the tool is provided with an elongate handle attached to the 
base end of the conical body member such that it projects in a direction 
away from the apex end of the body member, toward the direction of 
projection of the flange, and away from the flange, toward the direction 
of the body member, preferably between the plane of the flange and the 
plane of the blade. This permits the tool to be held comfortably and 
properly positioned with one hand. In conjunction with the handle, a 
finger rest is included near the apex of the body member for applying 
pressure at the forward end of the tool for stable positioning thereof and 
more effective cutting of the wallpaper. 
Therefore it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide a 
new and improved wallpaper trimming device which facilitates accurate and 
precise cutting of wallpaper. 
It is another principal objective of the present invention to provide such 
a wallpaper trimming device which guides a cutting blade accurately and 
precisely along a joint between a wall being papered and an adjacent 
structural member, is easy to hold and manipulate, and is adapted to a 
variety of different types of joints. 
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a 
wallpaper trimming device which guides the wallpaper to be cut gradually 
and smoothly into position in a joint and presses the wallpaper smoothly 
against the wall being papered as it is being cut. 
It is a particular feature of the present invention that it utilizes a 
guide portion having a conical body member and a flat guide flange 
attached tangentially along one edge thereof to the body member and 
projecting away therefrom, for positioning a cutting blade and guiding 
wallpaper into position for cutting. 
It is another feature of the present invention that it utilizes a blade 
holder and a projecting blade mounted therein to attack the wallpaper at 
an angle to the wall being papered, and whose distance of projection from 
the body member may be adjusted. 
It is a further feature of the present invention that it utilizes an 
elongate handle projecting away from the apex end of the body member, in 
the direction of projection of the flange, and away from the flange, in 
the direction of the body member, for manipulating the tool, and a finger 
rest adjacent the apex of the body member for effectuating stability and 
cutting of the wallpaper. 
The foregoing objectives, features and advantages of the present invention 
will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following 
detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the wallpaper trimming tool 10 of the present 
invention is shown in use cutting the edge of a strip of wallpaper 12 
being applied to a wall 14 along the outer surface joint 16 between the 
wall and a baseboard 18. The tool 10, comprises a guide portion 20 having 
a body member 22 with a conical outer surface for positioning the tool and 
guiding the wallpaper, and a flat flange 24 attached along one edge 
thereof tangentially to the body member and projecting away therefrom, 
also for positioning the tool and for pressing the wallpaper against the 
wall as it is cut. A cutting blade 26 is disposed adjacent the apex end 28 
of the body member for cutting the wallpaper and an elongate handle 30 is 
attached to the base end 32 of the body member for manipulating the tool. 
Proper positioning of the tool, and hence the cutting blade 26, in a joint 
between the wall to be papered and an adjacent structural member is 
accomplished by placement of the flange 24 against the wall, with the 
wallpaper sandwiched therebetween and by resting the side of the body 
member opposite the direction of projection of the flange against the 
adjacent structural member, such as a baseboard 18 having a linear edge 34 
as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This provides unidirectional position 
references in two dimensions so that, by forcing the tool against these 
two references, the position of the cutting blade will be stabilized, 
resulting in accurate cutting. Likewise, the tool may be used in an 
identical manner at the joint between a wall to be papered and another 
wall. The same applies as well where the adjacent structural member does 
not provide a linear edge 34 perpendicular to the wall 14 to be papered, 
as is shown in the drawings, but where a rounded molding is utilized, or 
where two walls are joined at other than a 90.degree. angle. In such cases 
the conical surface of the body member 22 may be moved one way or the 
other in the dimension of the plane of the wall until it comes to rest 
against the adjacent structure, and the blade 26 is moved inwardly or 
outwardly so that it strikes the wallpaper precisely at the joint 16 under 
that condition. 
The tool is utilized by pulling the apex end 28 of the body along the joint 
16 at which the wallpaper is to be cut, in the direction of the base end 
32 of the tool. This causes the uncut portion of wallpaper preceding the 
base end of the tool and having a widely-curved bend therein to be drawn 
gradually and smoothly, that is, to be focused, into a relatively 
sharply-curved joint for cutting, without producing any tearing or 
creasing of the wallpaper. Accordingly, the base end of the body member is 
provided with a rounded edge 36 to prevent snagging of the wallpaper. At 
the same time, since the flange 24 is being pressed against the wall, the 
apex end of the body member is also very close to the wall, while the 
portion of the base end closest to the joint is a distance away from the 
wall. Thus, the wallpaper is moved from a position a distance away from 
the wall, adjacent the base end of the body, to a position in contact with 
the wall, adjacent the apex end of the body, and is pressed securely 
against the wall by the flange 24. 
A blade holder 38 is attached to the tool adjacent the apex end 28 of the 
body member for accepting the cutting blade 26. The holder preferably 
comprises a receptacle member integrally formed between the flange and 
body member having an elongate aperture 39 therein to receive the cutting 
blade so that it may move inwardly and outwardly relative to the body 
member for varying degrees of projection to compensate for different 
positioning of the body member. The blade may be secured by any 
appropriate fastening means, but it is preferred that a readily adjustable 
thumb screw 40 be utilized, as particularly shown in FIG. 3. The thumb 
screw is mounted in the receptacle perpendicular to the aperture 39 and 
easily tightens against the side of the blade in response to a slight 
twist, thereby preventing movement of the blade, and vice-versa to release 
the blade. While many different types of blades might be utilized with 
varying degrees of success, it is preferred that the blade holder be 
designed to accept a commonly used injector-type razor blade since these 
are readily available and are sufficiently sharp to cut wallpaper. 
It is particularly significant that the blade 26 is mounted at an angle 
.theta. to the plane of the flange 24 so that the sharp edge 42 of the 
blade faces in a direction running from the body member side of the flange 
angled toward the plane of the flange, thereby attacking the wallpaper 
more nearly at the precise point of meeting between the outside surfaces 
of the wall and adjacent structural member than could be accomplished if 
the blade attacked either parallel to the wallpaper, which would cause a 
slight overlap of wallpaper onto the adjacent structure, or perpendicular 
to the wall, which would cause a slight gap between the edge of the 
wallpaper and the adjacent structure, due to the thickness of the blade. 
The handle 30 of the cutting tool, which is attached to the base end 32 of 
the body member, should preferably extend away from the guide portion in a 
direction away from the apex end and toward the direction of projection of 
the flange 24. In addition, the handle should extend away from the plane 
of the flange 24 toward the direction of the body member 22 so that it is 
askew thereto. Preferably, the handle should be positioned between the 
plane of the flange 24 and the plane of the blade 26. While a variety of 
positions of the handle might be found comfortable, it has been determined 
that the foregoing characteristics provide the most comfortable 
manipulation of the tool. 
In conjunction with the handle, a finger rest 44, preferably formed by the 
surface of the blade holder 38 between the flange and the body member, is 
provided adjacent the apex end of the body so that an individual using the 
tool may apply force to the apex end of the tool utilizing, ordinarily, 
his index finger, as shown by the hand 46 in FIG. 1. Force applied by the 
user's finger increases the position stability of the tool and its cutting 
effectiveness as well. While the hand 46 shown is a right-hand, it should 
be recognized that the tool, as shown, might be utilized by a left-handed 
individual and, more importantly, that a left-handed tool of mirror-image 
design could also be built, i.e. with the position of the flange and blade 
holding mechanism reversed to the opposite side of the body member 22, to 
produce a more comfortable tool for a left-handed user. 
The trimming tool 10 may be made of metal, plastic, or any convenient 
combination of those, or other, materials as long as it has sufficient 
strength to withstand the force necessary for cutting. If a moldable 
material is used, most of the parts, i.e. the body member 22, the flange 
24, the handle 30, the blade holder 38 and the finger rest 44 could all be 
integrated into a single molded structure. 
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing 
abstract and specification are used therein as terms of description and 
not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and 
expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described 
or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention 
is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.