Patent Publication Number: US-2004042843-A1

Title: Caulking gun and method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Technical Field  
       [0002] This invention relates generally to building construction equipment, and more particularly to a caulking gun and method for more efficient application of caulking compound and the like.  
       [0003] 2. Description of Related Art  
       [0004] Caulking compound and other compounds (i.e., materials) are commonly packaged in a cartridge from which a user dispenses the compound with the aid of a caulking gun. Those components are well known. The term “cartridge” refers to a component having a hollow body that functions as a container for the compound (e.g., typically 1.875inches diameter and 8.5 inches long). Applying pressure against a piston member disposed within one end of the hollow body forces the compound out a nozzle on the other end. The term “caulking gun” refers to a handheld apparatus (e.g., about one foot long) having a cartridge-holding component, a trigger assembly, and an actuator rod extending from the trigger assembly to the cartridge-holding component for applying pressure to the piston according to user operation of the trigger assembly. The term “caulking of structures” refers to the procedure of dispensing the compound from the cartridge with the caulking gun to a wall, ceiling, or other part of the structure.  
       [0005] Some caulking guns include a tube or other extension member of adjustable length disposed intermediate the cartridge-holding component and the user-held trigger assembly. The extension member adds length to the caulking gun to facilitate caulking of elevated structures that are otherwise out of the user&#39;s reach, without resorting to ladders, scaffolding, or the like. One problem with providing such an extension member is that the actuator rod must also be adjustable in length and existing caulking guns designs with telescoping extension members and telescoping actuator rods within them can be somewhat complicated, expensive, and unreliable. Thus, existing caulking guns need improvement in that respect.  
       [0006] Another problem relates to the task of finishing a bead of the compound after it has been applied to the structure. The user does this by hand using a wet brush, finger trowel, other small tool, or his finger. With a wet brush, for example, the user wipes the bead with the brush to smooth the bead and to remove excess compound. The problem is that even though an extended caulking gun facilitates caulking without ladders and scaffolding, the user must often rely on ladders and scaffolding nevertheless for finishing the bead of compound. Thus, users also need a better way for finishing a bead of compound located out of reach at elevated heights.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] This invention addresses the concerns outlined above by providing a caulking gun that includes an extension member with simplified length adjustment components. In addition, one embodiment includes a bead-finishing brush that is adapted to be mounted on the nozzle of a cartridge. User operation of the trigger assembly causes the compound to flow out of the nozzle and between the bristles of the brush for application and finishing of the compound with the same tool. Both operations can be accomplished without the need for ladders, scaffolding, extension poles, or other additional tools.  
       [0008] To paraphrase some of the more precise language appearing in the claims, a caulking gun constructed according to the invention includes a cartridge-holding component, a trigger assembly, a telescoping extension assembly, and a telescoping actuator rod assembly. The telescoping extension assembly has a distal end portion connected to the cartridge-holding component and a proximal end portion connected to the trigger assembly, while the telescoping actuator rod assembly extends within the telescoping extension assembly from the trigger assembly to the cartridge-holding component. Those components may be similar in some respects to existing caulking guns.  
       [0009] One aspect of the invention concerns adjustability. The telescoping extension assembly includes a compression fitting on the outer tube that is adapted to function as means for securing the inner tube in a desired position relative to the outer tube. The telescoping actuator rod assembly includes a plurality of locking components at spaced apart locations on the tubular member that are adapted to be screwed into engagement of the rod for purposes of securing the rod in a desired position relative to the tube. The outer and inner tubes of the telescoping extension assembly define a plurality of openings at spaced apart locations on the outer and inner tubes that enable access by a user to the plurality of locking components on the tubular member of the telescoping actuator rod assembly for length-adjustment purposes. That arrangement achieves more reliability while being somewhat less complicated and less expensive.  
       [0010] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a brush component having a bristle-holding component and a plurality of bristles mounted on the bristle-holding component. The bristle-holding is adapted to be mounted on the nozzle of the cartridge and it defines a passageway such that user operation of the trigger assembly causes the compound to flow out of the nozzle, through the passageway, and between the bristles of the brush. That arrangement enables simultaneous application and finishing of the compound.  
       [0011] In line with the above, a method for caulking a structure includes providing a brush component as described above. The method proceeds by mounting the brush component on the nozzle of the cartridge, dispensing the caulking compound out of the cartridge through the nozzle of the cartridge, through the passageway in the bristle-holding component, and between the bristles of the brush, and finishing the caulking compound by wiping it with the bristles of the brush.  
       [0012] Thus, the caulking gun and method of this invention significantly facilitate caulking of structures at elevated heights that are otherwise out of the user&#39;s reach. The following illustrative drawings and detailed description make the foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention more apparent. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0013]FIG. 1 of the drawings is an elevation view of a caulking gun constructed according to the invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation view of the caulking gun with the telescoping extension assembly and telescoping actuator rod assembly in a minimum length configuration;  
     [0015]FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevation view of the caulking gun with the telescoping extension assembly and telescoping actuator rod assembly in an extended length configuration;  
     [0016]FIG. 4 is a further enlarge portion of the caulking gun, showing the telescoping extension assembly and telescoping actuator rod assembly in cross section as viewed in a vertical plane containing a central axis of elongation of the telescoping extension assembly;  
     [0017]FIG. 5 is a top view of the portion of the caulking gun shown in FIG. 4, with portions foreshortened to expose the inner tube of the telescoping extension assembly along with the tubular member and the rod of the telescoping actuator rod assembly;  
     [0018]FIG. 6 is an elevation view of cartridge-holding component portion of the caulking gun, showing the brush assembly mounted on the nozzle of a cartridge held by the cartridge-holding component; and  
     [0019]FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the brush as viewed in a vertical plane containing a central axis of elongation of the brush. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0020] FIGS.  1 - 7  of the drawings show various aspects of a caulking gun  10  constructed according to the invention. Generally, the caulking gun  10  includes a cartridge-holding component  11 , a trigger assembly  12 , a telescoping extension assembly  13 , and a telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  (FIGS.  1 - 3 ). These components are similar in some respects to components of some existing caulking guns. The cartridge-holding component  11  is adapted to hold or cradle a typical 1.875-inch diameter, 8.5-inch long caulking cartridge  15  having a 3.0-inch long nozzle  16  (FIG. 6). The telescoping extension assembly  13  has a distal end portion  17  connected to the cartridge-holding component  11  and a proximal end portion  18  connected to the trigger assembly  12  (FIGS.  1 - 2 ). The telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  extends within the telescoping extension assembly  13  from the trigger assembly  12  to the cartridge-holding component  11  along a central axis  19  (FIG. 1) that is common to both the telescoping extension assembly  13  and the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14 .  
     [0021] To dispense caulking compound from the cartridge  15 , a user grasps the trigger assembly  12  and squeezes a trigger  12 A portion of it repetitively to dispense caulking compound contained by the cartridge  15 . Squeezing the trigger  12 A causes the actuator rod assembly  14  to rachet forward toward (i.e., to advance toward) the cartridge  15  from the withdrawn rearward position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the deployed forward position shown in FIG. 1, and that action results in the actuator rod assembly  14  forcing the caulking compound out of the nozzle  16 .  
     [0022] Unlike existing caulking guns, the telescoping extension assembly  13  and telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  of the caulking gun  10  include simplified length adjustment components. In addition, the caulking gun  10  includes a bead-finishing brush  20  (FIGS. 6 and 7) that is adapted to be mounted on the nozzle  16  of the cartridge  15 . Caulking flows out of the nozzle  16  and between the bristles  21  of the brush  20  for simultaneous application and finishing of the compound without the need for ladders, scaffolding, extension poles, or other additional tools.  
     [0023] Concerning the length adjustment components of the caulking gun  10 , the telescoping extension assembly  13  includes an outer tube  13 A (e.g., a 1.25-inch outside diameter metal tube), an inner tube  13 B extending telescopingly within the outer tube  13 A (e.g., a 1.125-inch diameter metal tube), and a compression fitting  22  on the outer tube  13 A that is adapted to function as means for securing the inner tube  13 B in a desired position relative to the outer tube  13 A. The compression fitting  22  is a known type of component that may be similar to the locking components on adjustable-length painting poles. The user grasps and rotates the compression fitting  22  one way to loosen it so that he can move the outer tube  13 A longitudinally along the axis  19  relative to the inner tube  13 . He rotates the compression fitting  22  the other way to tighten it and thereby secure the inner tube  13 B relative to the outer tube  13 A. The user can thereby adjust the length of the telescoping extension assembly  13  to a desired length between the shortest length shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (e.g., about 4.0 feet long) and the extended length shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., about 6.5 feet long). Of course, one of ordinary skill in the art can configure the telescoping extension assembly  13  for even greater lengths within the scope of the related claims and without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed.  
     [0024] The user must also adjust the length of the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  according to the length of the telescoping extension assembly  13 . For that purpose, the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  includes a tubular member  14 A (e.g., a 0.375-inch outside diameter metal tube), a rod  14 B extending telescopingly within the tubular member  14 A (e.g., a 0.25-inch diameter metal rod), and a plurality of similar locking components at spaced apart locations on the tubular member  14 A that are adapted to be screwed into engagement of the rod  14 B for purposes of securing the rod  14 B in a desired position relative to the tube  14 A. One such locking component, a locking component  27 , is shown in FIGS. 2, 3,  4  and  5 . That arrangement enables the user to set the length of the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  to a length corresponding to the desired length of the telescoping extension assembly  13 .  
     [0025] The outer tube  13 A of the telescoping extension assembly  13  defines a plurality of similar outer tube openings (e.g., 0.375-inch diameter holes) at spaced apart locations along the outer tube  13 A indicated by axes  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and  26  in FIG. 1 (e.g., spaced apart about 10 inches). One such outer tube opening, an outer tube opening  28 , is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The inner tube  13 B defines a plurality of similar inner tube openings at similarly spaced apart locations along the inner tube  13 B. One such inner tube opening, an inner tube opening  29 , is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The user loosens the compression fitting  22  and adjusts the longitudinal position of the outer and inner tubes  13 A and  13 B relative to each other in order to align the outer tube openings with the inner tube openings. Doing so allows the user to access the locking components on the tubular member  14 A of the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  by moving the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  to the withdrawn rearward position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In that position, the locking components are aligned with the axes  23 - 26  shown in FIG. 1. With the inner tube openings and outer tube openings also aligned with the axes  23 - 26 , the user has access to the locking components for purposes of adjusting the length of the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14 .  
     [0026] Each of the locking components is similar to the locking component  27  in FIG. 4. The locking component  27  includes a collar  30  (e.g., metal) that is welded or otherwise suitably attached to the tubular member  14 A. A set screw  31  screws into the collar  30 . The user inserts a tool (e.g., an allen wrench) through the aligned outer tube opening  28  and inner tube opening  29  in order to screw the set screw  31  into engagement of the rod  14 B. Doing so secures the rod  14 B relative to the tubular member  14 A to thereby set the length of the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14 .  
     [0027] With the length set as desired, the user withdraws the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  to the withdrawn rearward position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Next, he inserts the cartridge  15  into the cartridge-holding component  11  (in the position shown in FIG. 6) and thereafter he advances the telescoping actuator rod assembly  14  slightly to lock the cartridge  15  in place. Then, he raises the caulking gun  10  so that the nozzle  16  is adjacent a location he desires to caulk and he squeezes the trigger  12 A repetitively to dispense caulking compound through the nozzle  16 . When the need arises for a different length caulking gun, he adjusts the length with the simplified, less expensive, and more reliable adjustment components described.  
     [0028] When desired, the user mounts the bead-finishing brush  20  on the nozzle  16  before caulking. That way, he can finish the beads of caulking he lays using the caulking gun  10  instead of a separate extension pole, or ladders or scaffolding. The nozzle  16  of the cartridge  15  tapers in a typical manner from a 0.625-inch outside diameter to a 0.4375-inch outside diameter, and the brush  20  is configured to mount on the nozzle  16  after the user has first cut the nozzle  16  in order to allow caulking compound to flow out of it.  
     [0029] The brush  20  includes a body  32  (e.g., metal or plastic) that holds the bristles  21 . The illustrated body  32  is about 1.5 inches long and the bristles  21  are about one-inch long, but those dimensions may vary without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed. The body  32  has an interior wall  33  that defines a passageway  34  such that the passageway  34  fits on the nozzle  16  and such that it extends to the bristles  21 . Caulking compound flows out of the nozzle  16 , through the passageway  34 , and past the bristles  21  to the location being caulked. Once the user has laid a bead of caulking, he typically dips the brush  20  in water and then wipes the caulking bead to finish it. Preferably, the body  32  includes an interior thread  35  that engages the plastic nozzle  16 , for purposes of holding the brush  20  on the nozzle  16 , although the body of the brush  20  can be configured for a tight force fit on the nozzle  16  instead.  
     [0030] Thus, the invention provides an extension member with simplified length adjustment components that are less expensive to fabricate and more reliable. In addition, one embodiment includes a bead-finishing brush so that both caulking and finishing can be accomplished without an additional extension pole and without ladders or scaffolding. Although an exemplary embodiment has been shown and described, one of ordinary skill in the art may make many changes, modifications, and substitutions without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.