CAULK BEAD TOOL

Abstract: A hand held tool (30) for the uniform compressing, forming and simultaneous cleaning of a previously applied bead of caulking (17) or other similar fluent material from a constructed joint (31). The tool (30) includes an elongated handle (16) and triangular head (11) with working edges (13), the working edges (13) being essentially an arrow-like shaped piece of rubber-like material fixed to and extending slightly beyond the acute isosceles triangular shaped head portion (20) of the tool (30) at the extremity opposite an elongated handle (16), the acute angle of the working edges (13) at the extremity is slightly rounded. The head (20) and the handle (16) contain a continuous longitudinal cavity provided for the collection of excess material gathered during the operation of the tool (30) and in the preferred embodiment the head (20) and handle (16) are essentially molded as one unit in resilient plastic material with the handle (16) expanding in a fan-like shape the outer angles of the head (20).

Description: CAULK BEAD TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to tools utilized for contouring and finishing beads of caulk, grout, putty and other fluent materials (hereinafter referred to only as "caulk"). More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for compressing and contouring beads of fluent material freshly applied to joints, and for the simultaneous removal of excess fluent material from the sides ofthe joints. Many tools are available in the prior art for contouring and finishing beads of caulk applied to intersecting planar surfaces. Some such tools teach a one-step application and contouring of a bead of fluent material within a joint, other tools are used after the initial bead of caulk has been applied to finish the bead uniformly. A few such tools disclosed purport to be able to avoid excess distribution of fluent materials in the first instance but most are devoid of any teaching or recognition of potential clean-up problems along the sides of an applied and contoured bead. Some other tools available in the prior art teach an additional clean-up step to the process of producing a finished uniform bead of caulking between intersecting planar surfaces devoid of excess caulking material. However, to the extent that they may not always satisfactorily perform in the manner suggested, the tools disclosed are inadequate to remove such excess material. Many of he tools in the prior art are constructed in a complex manner especially where the initial application of a uniform caulk bead is the preferred method of operation. This complexity reduces the potential use of such tools under most job conditions encountered by this inventor. Moreover even those such tools which are of simple construction and operation compete under ob conditions with more readily available traditional methods of caulking finishing tools such as a moistened finger or palette knife, which though messy and imprecise continue to be the foremost methods of finishing caulk beads. Such work practices hold the benefit to the employer of resilience and flexibility, although a few tools available in the prior art also teach resilience and flexibility of construction, none can offer flexibility of use required to achieve uniform beads of l caulk in many instances especially where the adjacent surfaces are not peφendicular or include non-conformities such as joints, cracks or surface texture. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The resilient and flexible hand held tool ofthe present invention provides a handle with a fixed head holding working edges for uniformly compressing and contouring an applied bead of caulk and the simultaneous removal of excess material from the contoured bead and adjacent surfaces. In a preferred form the tool comprises an elongated handle and isosceles acute triangular shaped head portion firmly holding the working edges. In this preferred embodiment the said handle and head portions are constructed in one piece from a resilient plastic material with the head portion located symmetrically at one end ofthe said handle and at an angle extending way from the central axis ofthe handle, the acute angle thereby directed axially away from the handle. The working edges are two edges of a six-sided arrow-shaped single flat sheet of durable elastomer or gasket rubber-like material which join at an acute angle. This said shaped sheet is held by and extends slightly beyond, the triangular head at the axial extremity ofthe handle, the said acute angled end is rounded and is so disposed to form a bead of caulk into a desired curvature and the two edges ofthe working surfaces extending symmetrically from the rounded end are disposed to wipe clean any excess caulk from the surfaces adjoining the caulk joint towards the axis ofthe tool during a pass ofthe tool over a previously applied bead of caulk. In this preferred embodiment the excess material so gathered is collected in a cavity running longitudinally within the head and into the handle portions ofthe tool. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment ofthe tool ofthe present invention, shown applied against a bead of previously applied caulk to form the caulk into a finished concave bead joint. FIG. 2 is a side view ofthe tool of FIG. 1 FIG. 3 is a top face view ofthe same tool FIG. 4 is an under face view ofthe same tool FIG. 5 is an end view ofthe same tool DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 a preferred embodiment of a caulk bead tool ofthe present invention 30 is shown physically supported against two intersecting elements 10 and 12 which form a joint 31 to which rough bead of caulk 17 has been freshly dispensed. The rounded end 14 ofthe working edges 13 is in contact with the rough bead and is pulled along the bead to compress the caulk into the joint and to form a finished smooth concave bead of caulk and to wipe clean excess material from the adjacent surfaces ofthe two intersecting elements. The elongated body ofthe tool is a handle 16 which in the preferred form is approximately 100mm. long and 20mm. wide and varies between 10mm. and 15mm. high. At the said thicker end the handle widens in a planar fan shape 19 to form a structurally confluent junction with the isosceles acute triangular head portion 20. The head 11 extends axially approximately 35mm. beyond the end ofthe handle and narrows from 45mm. wide at the confluence to a point 23 directed axially away from the handle. This head is substantially a flat element approximately 4mm. thick which is reduced to 2mm. along the outer edges ofthe triangular head where a rebate of approximately 6mm. width is formed to support the working edges. In the preferred embodiment the body and head portion are molded from resilient plastic material. The shaping at the junction between the handle and the head 19 in this embodiment also facilitates collection of excess caulk from the working edges and ease of holding and in the hand. The working edges are substantially a symmetrical six-sided arrow-like shaped piece die-cut from a single sheet of elastomeric or gasket rubber-like material approximately 2mm. thick. The outer edges ofthe said arrow-like shape are approximately 40mm. in length (see FIG. 4) and extend beyond the head by approximately 2mm. the said edges form an acute angle at the axial extent ofthe tool remote from the handle and this angle is rounded to achieve the desired finished form of a concave bead of caulk (see FIG. 3). The said working edges are rigidly held within the said rebate through the use of glue, snap moldings or other similar practice known to ensure firmness of location in the prior art connections and plastics molding techniques, the rebate is stopped 18 at the short edges ofthe said arrow-like shape, head is rigidly held to the glued or otherwise fixed into . Now referring to FIG. 2 where the shaping ofthe tool in this preferred embodiment is shown in side view. The axial extremity ofthe handle 22 remote from the head is angled acutely to the base plane ofthe underside face ofthe tool 24. This end forms an obtuse angle with the main longitudinal upper face ofthe tool which itself slopes towards a structurally stronger thickening at the confluence ofthe handle and head 20. The head portion 11 slopes away from the said confluence towards the plane ofthe said underside face. The solid structure ofthe head is rebated to retain the thin working edges and through the angling ofthe said head obtusely from the said handle these edges are directed at a greater angle than the handle to the caulk bead joint this having been found by the present inventor to be an optimum solution for comfort ofthe operator and the creation of an ideal formed bead. In this preferred form the head ends perpendicularly at the previously noted plane ofthe underside ofthe tool 24. The working edges extend approximately 2mm. beyond the supporting head such that under a slight pressure the working edges will flex and compress into deviations in the planes ofthe intersecting elements adjacent to the caulk joint and will simultaneously wipe clean the said faces. The sides ofthe tool are shaped at the junction 20 to form triangular cheeks 19 to the head portion. The reduction ofthe sides towards the end of haunching to the rebate 18 which holds the working edges facilitates the rigidity ofthe head and allows the operator to maneuver the tool to a very acute angle with the caulk bead and thus to achieve smooth finished caulk beads in joints between elements of other than mutually peφendicular and planar disposition. The said cheeks to the head which are contiguous with the sides ofthe handle also create a tunneling collection area for excess material derived during an operation to compress and smooth a rough caulk bead. The said excess is then directed into a cavity which is substantially the underside ofthe tool extending from the head longitudinally along the handle. This cavity is terminated in the presently preferred embodiment in a smoothly curved end within the axial extremity ofthe handle remote from the head for ease of cleaning. Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown the top face view ofthe same tool 30 ofthe presently preferred embodiment. In this view the axial symmetry ofthe tool is shown with the elongated handle 16 describing a rectangular form up to the said fan shaped confluence 20 with the said acute isosceles triangular head 11. The acute angle ofthe said head 23 is located axially at the extremity ofthe tool remote from the said handle and the rounded acute angle ofthe said working edges 14 extends shortly beyond. The said working edges extend beyond the said head along both sides of 4 SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26 the said head at the axial extreme ofthe tool and is seated firmly and glued or otherwise fixed in the said rebate formed in the face ofthe said head continuous with the said longitudinal cavity and which is stopped at the extremity short edges ofthe said working edges (see in FIG. 4). The tool thus resists excessive flexing ofthe working edges when put under pressure during an operation to smooth a bead of caulk maintaining the preferred action of evenly compressing, smoothing and cleaning ofthe rough bead. FIG. 4 shows the extent and shape ofthe elongated cavity 21 extending substantially the length of the tool towards the axial end ofthe said handle remote from the said head ending in a smooth and rounded concavity 27 for ease of cleaning. The said side cheeks to the confluence ofthe said handle and said head 19 are shown forming a funnel shape which corresponds to and is a continuation of, the sides to the said handle into the fanning incoφorated at the said confluence 20. As noted above the said cheeks introduce additional structural stability and direct excess caulk material extracted during an operation upon a bead of caulk towards the said collection cavity away from the site ofthe caulk joint. The base ofthe said cavity is substantially flat and contours closely the upper face contours ofthe body ofthe tool ofthe presently preferred embodiment (see FIG. 2). The said rebate 28 in the said head is formed to house the working edges six-sided sheet 28 accurately to ensure that the substantially flat base ofthe said collection cavity is substantially level with the face ofthe said sheet and the sheet is supported substantially along its opposite, hidden face and substantially along four edges. FIG. 5 is an end view ofthe tool ofthe presently preferred embodiment showing the said planar and angled head 11 and the said confluence ofthe said head with the said handle 19 with the said supported working edges 13 continuous to the haunching to the rebate 18 extending beyond the said head to the extremity ofthe tool. Although only one presently preferred embodiment is shown and described herein, numerous additional embodiments are envisioned to fall within the scope and spirit of this invention and the following claims.

Claims: I claim: 1. A tool for uniformly compressing and smoothing a bead of freshly applied caulking or other fluent material and simultaneously cleaning excess ofthe said material from the bead and adjacent surfaces, comprising working edges, a head and a means of holding said head, said working edges being substantially the exposed outer edges of a symmetrical arrow-shaped flat sheet of elastomer material which form an acute angle the said acute angle being rounded, firmly held by and affixed to the said head along its shorter inner edges at an axial extremity from the said means of holding, the said head and means of holding being substantially one body formed of resilient plastic material said means of holding being substantially an elongated axial element with the said head located at one axial extremity, the said head being substantially a planar triangular element in axial symmetry to the said means of holding with the acute angle axially remote from said means of holding with the said rounded acute angle ofthe said working edges extending beyond the said acute angle of the said head and to the underside ofthe said means of holding is a cavity formed to store excess caulking material collected by the said working edges during an operation towards the underside ofthe said head, whereby the said tool can be hand supported with the said working edges inclusive ofthe said rounded acute angle disposed to a joint between intersecting elements or surfaces into which a bead of caulking has been deployed whereon under slight hand pressure and a pulling ofthe tool along the said bead the said working edges will flex and in so doing form a smooth compressed bead of caulk whilst cleaning the faces ofthe said surfaces adjacent to the said joint of excess caulking material which is then collected to a cavity formed in the tool. 2. The tool of claim 1 where the said planar head is disposed at an obtuse angle with the face plane ofthe said means of holding axially opposite to the cavity within the same said means of holding to facilitate improved disposition of contact ofthe said working edges with the said bead of caulking material and removal of excess material thereof onto the underside ofthe said head and into a cavity formed substantially within said means of holding. 3. The tool of claim 2 where the junction between the said head and said means of holding is substantially fan shaped and has sides extending the sides ofthe said elongated means of holding towards the outermost angles ofthe said planar triangular head and the extreme ends ofthe said working edges fixed therein which facilitate structural rigidity ofthe said head and the collection of excess caulking material produced through an operation to compress smooth and clean a bead of freshly applied caulking material. 4. the tool of claim 3 in which the said extended sides are themselves substantially triangular diminishing towards the outermost angles ofthe said head from the height defined by the said sides ofthe said elongated means of holding whereby the lower profile tool head may facilitate access for the disposition ofthe working edges on beads placed in joints of intersecting non- peφendicular or non-planar surfaces. 5. The tool of claim 4 wherein the working edges are glued into a rebate formed in the said head. 6. The tool of claim 4 in which the said working edges are held in a rebate in the said head by snap moldings or other similar practice known to ensure firmness of location in the art of connections and plastics molding techniques formed in the said head. 7. The tool of claim 6 wherein the radius ofthe said angle formed by the said working edges may be altered to suit the desired radius of concavity or other user requirements for the finished shaping of the said caulking joint. 7 SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26

Inventors: DEWBERRY ANDREW, DEWBERRY, ANDREW
Applicants: DEWBERRY ANDREW, DEWBERRY, ANDREW
Application year: 1996
Main classification: E04F21
IPC codes: E04F21