GRIDDED MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Abstract: A means of gridded measurement (2) for the cutting of construction materials which comprises the imprinting of visually precise commonly used measurement markings upon the surfaces of construction materials during the manufacturing process to save time and improve the accuracy of cutting the construction materials on a job site. Unit markings (10) may be numbered(4) for quick dimensional reference and fractional markings (6) may also be used. The lines for commonly used markings may also be highlighted, darkened, doubled, tripled, dashed or dotted, and color enhanced for easy recognition. Applications may include, but are not limited to, use on wallboard, shower board, insulation, gypsum board, plywood, and any other material which must be cut to exact measurements on a construction job site. Angled cuts may be easily made by cutting along the opposite corners of a predetermined number of grids counted in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Description: International Patent Application of Glenn Robell for Gridded Measurement System for Construction Materials TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to methods and devices for accurately cutting construction materials, specifically to a time saving means and a means by which to improve the accuracy of cutting construction materials on a job site which involves the imprinting during manufacture of gridded measurement markings onto the surfaces of construction materials. Applications may include, but are not limited to, use on wallboard, shower board, insulation, gypsum board, plywood, and any other material which must be cut to exact measurements on a construction or renovation job site. BACKGROUND ART During construction and renovation projects building materials must be accurately measured prior to cutting to ensure that they will perform the functions for which they were intended. If building materials are mismeasured and found to be too large, additional time must be spent to recut or reshape them, and delays in completing a construction or renovation project are incurred. If the materials are cut too small and subsequently used, gaps may be present in a finished structure which detract from its appearance, and the functional integrity of the structure may also be compromised. Materials cut too small and discarded result in financial loss. Therefore, it is desirable to have a means for accurately and expediently cutting building materials on a construction or renovation job site. One of the simplest ways to create a smaller piece of construction material out of a larger one is to use a tape measure and a marking device to place several small marks upon the surface of the larger piece of building material at a measured distance from a straight edge. A person cutting the material may then use the marks themselves as an approximate cutting guide. In the alternative, by use of the marking device and tape measure, or another straight edged device, a cutting person may connect the small marks to form a line which then is used as the cutting guide. One disadvantage of this measurement procedure is the time it takes to measure and connect each of the small marks. Usually, the more small marks used, the more accurate the cut will be on a large piece of construction material, but it is also more time consuming to measure and inscribe additional small marks on the piece of construction material. Another disadvantage is the human error involved in measuring multiple small marks. Tired people, those working outside in the sun for extended hours, and those pressured to finish a project in a short period of time, do not always focus their attention on the tape measure markings and may misread them, especially the fractional markings. Lines thickly marked by a cutting person may also lead to cutting errors, particularly when a variance in the part of the thick line cut is extended the full length of a four foot by eight foot, four foot by ten foot, or four foot by twelve foot sheet of construction material. The mistakes which result from such cutting errors waste both time and materials if they are not caught prior to the time of cutting. Cutting tools are known which aid in making precise cuts in drywall and other construction materials. The invention in U.S. Patent 5,206,965 to Rowley (1993) discloses a utility knife with an angled structure associated with its housing which provides a guiding surface for making angled or mitered cuts along the edge of a piece of construction material, such as drywall. The invention in U.S. Patent 5,265,342 to Lang, Jr. (1993) discloses a knife fastened to a rod which passes through an opening in a guide that rides along the edge of a piece of construction material. Graduations on the rod allow new cut widths without the use of tape measures and marking devices. One disadvantage of using the Lang, Jr. cutting tool is that it is only able to cut lines which are parallel to the straight edge along which the guide is placed. Angled and mitered cuts are not possible with the Lang, Jr. invention. It is not known to have construction materials, including structural and non-structural panels, which have grids comprising commonly used measurement markings imprinted thereon as a time saving means, a means by which to improve the accuracy of cutting the construction materials on a job site, and a means by which angled and mitered cuts may be expediently made on pieces of construction material. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is the primary object of this invention to provide a means by which to improve the accuracy of cutting pieces of construction materials to prevent waste of construction materials. It is also an object of this invention to provide a time saving means by which to accurately cut pieces of construction materials. A further object of this invention is to provide an easy and expedited means for making angled or mitered cuts on pieces of construction materials. It is also an object of this invention to provide imprinted measuring grids on pieces of construction material which are sized and highlighted in a variety of commonly used measuring units. A further object of this invention is to provide imprinted measuring grids having fractional measurements. As described herein, properly manufactured and imprinted on a piece of construction material, the present invention would provide a time saving means of accurately cutting the construction material. Precisely marked gridded lines, spaced apart from one another in standard measurement units, would be placed both horizontally and vertically on at least one side of a piece of construction material. Numerals would be indicated in association with whole measuring units for fast identification of dimensions which are required for a cut. Fractional markings would also be available for increased precision in cutting the construction material. It is contemplated for the lines marking commonly used measurements, such as the sixteen inch measurement between studs, to be highlighted, darkened, doubled, tripled, dashed, dotted, or color enhanced on the grid for quick reference. Angled and mitered cuts could be easily made by cutting along the opposite corners of a predetermined number of grids counted in both horizontal and vertical directions. The gridded measurement markings provide a quick measurement reference, but they also provide convenient guides for cutting a straight line through a piece of construction material. Also, a quick look at the markings on a previously cut piece of construction material having the grid measurement system of the present invention will reveal the presence of a straight edge or a 90-degree angle between adjacent edges without measurement. The description herein provides preferred embodiments of the present invention but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the gridded drywall invention. Variations in the units used to configure the grids, the selection of fractional markings displayed, the selection of commonly used construction measurements chosen for highlighting, darkening, doubling, tripling, dashing, dotting, or color enhancing, the frequency of the numerals used to identify grid units, and the use of numerals for other grid measurement markings, other than those shown and described herein, can be incoφorated into the present invention. Thus the scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than the examples given. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a top view of the invention having multiple highlighted markings. Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of the invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Figs. 1 and 2 show the best mode for carrying out grid measurement system 2 for use with a variety of building materials (not shown), to include structural and non- structural panels such as wallboard, shower board, insulation, gypsum board, plywood, and any other material, particularly four foot by eight foot, four foot by ten foot, four foot by twelve foot, three foot by five foot sheets, as well as any other commonly used size of sheets which must be cut on a construction or a renovation job site to exact measurements. Figs. 1 and 2 show grid measurement system 2 having visually precise one-fourth inch markings 6, one-half inch markings 8, one-inch markings 10, twelve inch enhanced markings 12, and sixteen inch highlighted markings 14 indicated in both horizontal and vertical directions. Sixteen inch highlighted markings 14 are used as a quick reference for the sixteen inch distance cornmonly used in the construction industry between studs (not shown). Figs. 1 and 2 also show grid measurement system 2 having numerals 4 associated with one-inch markings 10. Although the preferred embodiment of grid measurement system 2 shows markings in inches, it is contemplated for markings to also be in other commonly used measurement units, such as metric units. Further, it is also contemplated for numerals 4 to be associated with markings other than one-inch markings 10, and to be associated with either odd or even one-inch markings 10. In addition, it is contemplated for commonly used measurements needed for reference, other than twelve inch markings 12 and sixteen inch markings 14 to be highlighted or enhanced. It is also contemplated for highlighting and enhancing to include, but not be limited to, color enhancement, darkening of lines, doubling of lines, tripling of lines, and a series of dots adjacent to or in place of a line. Highlighting could also include dashed lines with each dashed mark having an identical measurement useful to the construction industry, such as one-half inch marking 8 with spaces between each dashed mark also having the same identical measurement. Although Figs. 1 and 2 show one-fourth inch markings 6 and one-half inch markings 8, it is contemplated to have other fractional markings as needed to suit a particular construction purpose. Angled and mitered cuts are easy to make using the visual precision of grid measurement system 2. A 45-degree angled cut may be made without measurement by cutting through opposite corners of one-inch markings 10. Other angles may be cut along the opposite corners of a predetermined number of one-inch markings 10 counted in both horizontal and vertical directions. For convenience in cutting such angles, a straight edge (not shown) and a marking device (not shown) may be used to draw a line connecting the counted opposite corners. Also, visually precise angled lines corresponding to various degrees of roof pitch cuts, such as but not limited to twenty-two-and-one-half degrees, thirty-three degrees, and forty-five degrees could be marked on the construction materials. However, no angle measurements need to be determined, a process which is commonly the subject of human error. Grid measurement system 2 may be imprinted for an insignificant cost, as compared to the cost of the construction material itself (not shown), by screen printing, laser guided printing, or pad printing. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY It is contemplated for grid measurement system 2 to be imprinted on construction materials of any thickness, including all four foot by eight foot, four foot by ten foot, four foot by twelve foot sheets, as well as construction materials of other dimensions including those panels with radiant barriers or insulation attached that is made from paper, foil, mylar, or plastic type of vinyl veneer materials. It is further contemplated for the visual precision marking of grid measurement system 2 to be adapted to the marine construction industry with the visually precise marking of curved and angled lines particularly useful as a quick reference to people constructing marine craft.

Claims: CLAIMS What is claimed is: I. A gridded measurement system for use on at least one surface of a piece of construction material, said gridded measurement system comprising a plurality of visually precise unit measurement markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on said construction material surface, a plurality of successively higher numbers associated with said unit measurements markings, and marking means for visual precision marking of said unit measurement markings and said successively higher numbers on a piece of construction material so as to make cutting of said piece of construction material fast and accurate. 2. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 wherein said visually precise units measurement markings are positioned on construction materials selected from a group consisting of four foot by eight foot sheets, four foot by ten foot sheets, and four foot by twelve foot sheets. 3. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of visually precise fractional measurement markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on said construction material surface between said unit measurement markings. 4. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of the ones of said unit measurement markings which are cornmonly used in construction so that said highlighted markings may be quickly referenced by a user. 5. The gridded measurement system of claim 4 wherein said highlighted markings are selected from a group consisting of color enhanced markings, multiple lines, and dashed lines having a plurality of segments identical in length and positioned at equally spaced apart distances from one another. 6. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 wherein said unit markings comprise one-inch markings. 7. The gridded measurement system of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of every one of said one-inch markings which is a multiple of twelve for quick reference by a user. 8. The gridded measurement system of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of every one of said one-inch markings which is a multiple of sixteen for quick reference by a user. 9. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 wherein said unit markings comprise metric system markings. 10. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 wherein said marking means is selected from a group consisting of screen printing equipment, laser printing equipment, and pad printing equipment. 11 A gridded measurement system for use on at least one surface of a piece of construction material, said gridded measurement system comprising a plurality of visually precise unit measurement markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on said construction material surface, a plurality of visually precise fractional measurement markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on said construction material surface between said unit measurement markings, a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of the ones of said unit measurement markings which are commonly used in construction so that said highlighted markings may be quickly referenced by a user, a plurality of successively higher numbers associated with said unit measurements markings, and marking means for visual precision marking of said unit measurement markings, said fractional measurement markings, said highlighted markings, and said successively higher numbers on a piece of construction materials so as to make cutting of said piece of construction material fast and accurate. 12. The gridded measurement system of claim 11 wherein said units measurement markings are positioned on construction materials selected from a group consisting of four foot by eight foot sheets, four foot by ten foot sheets, and four foot by twelve foot sheets. 13. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 1 wherein said highlighted markings are selected from a group consisting of color enhanced markings, multiple lines, and dashed lines having a plurality of segments identical in length and positioned at equally spaced apart distances from one another. 14. The gridded measurement system of claim 11 wherein said unit markings comprise one-inch markings. 15. The gridded measurement system of claim 14 further comprising a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of every one of said one-inch markings which is a multiple of twelve for quick reference by a user. 16. The gridded measurement system of claim 14 further comprising a plurality of highlighted markings positioned in both horizontal and vertical directions on top of every one of said one-inch markings which is a multiple of sixteen for quick reference by a user. 17. The gridded measurement system of claim 11 wherein said unit markings comprise metric system markings. 18. The gridded measurement system of claim 1 1 wherein said marking means is selected from a group consisting of screen printing equipment, laser printing equipment, and pad printing equipment.

Inventors: ROBELL GLENN, ROBELL, GLENN
Applicants: ROBELL GLENN, ROBELL, GLENN
Application year: 1997
Main classification: G01B3
IPC codes: E04C2, G01B3