Patent Publication Number: US-2021180337-A1

Title: Tile laying accessory

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application ser. No. 16/530,260, filed Aug. 2, 2019, entitled TILE LAYING ACCESSORY, which claims foreign priority to AU 2018902984, filed Aug. 14, 2018, and to AU 2018903355, filed Sep. 7, 2018, which prior applications are incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to a tile laying accessory. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     In International patent application number PCT/EP92/00262, published as WO 92/14012, there is described a device for laying rigid flooring modules, such as tiles. The device includes a disposable element and a wedge, preferably of a plastics material. The disposable element has a T-shaped cross-section with a “central portion” and at least two “arms” that extend from the central portion. The central portion has a hole. A “wedge” with a flat levelling surface can be inserted into the hole. In use, the disposable element is positioned with its arms under two consecutive flooring modules and immersed in adhesive for fixing the modules to a floor foundation. The central portion extends above upper faces of the modules through a gap between the modules. One edge of the hole is above the upper faces of the modules. The wedge is inserted into the hole between that edge and the upper faces of the modules with the flat levelling service in engagement with the upper faces to clamp the two modules between the wedge and the arms. The central portion includes a weakened zone or breakaway line that is intended to permit the central portion to be broken away from the remainder of the device once the adhesive has set. 
     There have been various improvements or developments on this device since the filing of the above international application. For example, Australian patent number 2011203224 identifies a problem with the adhesive filling the breakaway line. That may make it difficult to break the central portion or web away from the arms or flange. Also, in some cases, the adhesive might not extend over the arms or the flange (also referred to as horizontal members) such that portions of the tiles that extend over the horizontal members are not adhered to the undersurface of the tiles. This problem is approached by locating the breakaway line at or above the highest points of the horizontal member sections such that the breakaway line is not exposed to the adhesive. Furthermore, the central portion may define cutouts at the ends of the breakaway line. 
     In the above examples, the modules or tiles are kept separated by the central portion (or “main member” in patent number 2011203224). 
     The description of the devices in this background section is not an admission that such devices form relevant prior art information. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a tile laying accessory that includes:
         a flange having opposed ends and opposed sides;   a web that extends from the base, intermediate the opposed sides, the flange and the web being configured so that edge portions of adjacent tiles can be positioned on the flange on respective sides of the web, with the web extending between the adjacent tiles, the web being configured to engage a levelling member having a bearing surface, the levelling member and the web being configured so that relative displacement of the levelling member and the web results in the bearing surface of the levelling member bearing against the edge portions of the adjacent tiles; and   at least one spacing formation arranged on at least one of the flange and the web, the, or each, spacing formation being configured so that the adjacent tile edge portions can bear against the, or each, spacing formation with the web being spaced from the adjacent tile edge portions.       

     At least one of the web and the flange may include a zone of weakness, such as a frangible region or one or more openings, to permit at least a portion of the accessory to be separated from a remaining portion, the zone of weakness being positioned so that the remaining portion remains below respective upper surfaces of the adjacent tile edge portions. 
     The, or each, spacing formation and the web may be in alignment with each other along a line that is substantially parallel to adjacent tile edges, in use. The, or each, spacing formation may have a dimension, generally orthogonal to the line, that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the web. Thus, when adjacent tiles are laid, the edge portions can bear against the, or each, spacing formation, setting up a clearance between the edge portions and the web. 
     The web may include two spaced stems extending from the flange, with the zone of weakness at a junction of each stem and the flange. The zone of weakness could also be positioned intermediate ends of the stems. 
     A bridge member may interconnect the stems such that the flange, the stems and the bridge member define an opening for receiving the levelling member in the form of a wedge. The wedge can be the wedge described in the background section of this specification. 
     The, or each, spacing formation may be a spacer that extends from the base, between the stems. In another embodiment, the, or each, spacing formation may be two spacers, on respective outer sides of the web. In yet another embodiment, the, or each, spacing formation may be a spacer that interconnects the two spaced stems. 
     In one embodiment, at least one further spacing formation may be arranged on at least one of the flange and the web. The, or each, further spacing formation may be configured so that corner portions of four adjacent tiles can be positioned on the flange with edge portions of adjacent tiles on each side of the web that are orthogonal to the edge portions bearing against the spacing formation can bear against the, or each further spacing formation. Such an arrangement is suitable for use at a junction between four adjacent tiles. 
     The, or each, further spacing formation may be a further spacer or section that extends from each side of the spacer that extends between the stems to form a generally cruciform arrangement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a front view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of the tile laying accessory. 
         FIG. 4  shows the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 1 , in use. 
         FIG. 5  shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a front view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a side view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  shows the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 5 , in use. 
         FIG. 9  shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a front view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  shows a side view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  shows the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 9 , in use. 
         FIG. 13  shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 14  shows a front view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  shows a side view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 16  shows the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 13 , in use. 
         FIG. 17  shows a three-dimensional view of a further embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 18  shows a front view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  shows a side view of the tile laying accessory of  FIG. 17 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 to 4 , reference numeral  10  generally indicates an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. The accessory  10  is useful for aligning and levelling tiles during a laying process. It is to be understood that the accessory  10  can be used with other modular building elements. Thus, the word “tile” is to be understood as extending beyond the conventionally known narrow meaning of a rectangular, ceramic building element that is adhered to a substrate. Rather, it can extend to any building or architectural module that is required to be laid on a substrate together with other modules in a level and equally spaced manner. 
     The accessory  10  includes a flange  12  having opposed ends in the form of a front end  14  and a rear end  16 . The flange  12  also has a pair of opposed sides  18 . 
     A web  20  extends from the flange  12  intermediate the sides  18 . The flange  12  and the web  20  are configured so that edge portions  22  ( FIG. 4 ) of adjacent tiles  24  can be positioned on the flange  12  on respective sides of the web  20 , with the web  20  extending between the adjacent tiles  24 . 
     The web  20  is configured to engage a levelling member in the form of a wedge  26  ( FIG. 12 ) having a bearing surface, the levelling member and the web  20  being configured so that relative displacement of the levelling member and the web  20  results in the bearing surface of the levelling member bearing against the edge portions  22  of the adjacent tiles  24 . 
     A spacing formation in the form of a spacer  28  is arranged on the flange  20  and is configured so that the adjacent tile edge portions  22  can bear against the spacer with the web  20  being spaced from the adjacent tile edge portions. 
     A zone of weakness  30  is defined at a junction between the web  20  and the flange  12 . The zone of weakness  30  is configured so that, when the flange  12  is secured between a substrate and the tile edge portions  22 , the web  20  can be broken off the flange  12  with a suitable tool such as a hammer or simply with a kick. The zone of weakness  30  can take different forms. For example, it can be defined by a waisted portion or by appropriately positioned openings. It could also be a frangible region extending across the web  20 . 
     The web  20  and the spacer  28  are in alignment with each other along a line  29  that is substantially parallel to adjacent tile edges, in use. The spacer has a dimension, generally orthogonal to the line, extending between the front and rear ends  14 ,  16 , that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the web  20 . Thus, when adjacent tiles  24  are laid, the edge portions  22  can bear against respective front and rear sides  32  of the spacer  28 . This sets up a clearance between the edge portions  22  and the web  20 . The spacer  28  has a substantially uniform thickness along the line  29  to provide a stable surface for abutment with the edge portions  22 . 
     The web  20  includes two spaced stems  34  extending from the flange  12 , with the zone of weakness  30  at a junction of each stem  34  and the flange  12 . A bridge member or bridge  36  interconnects the stems  34  such that the flange  12 , the stems  34  and the bridge  36  define an opening  38  for receiving the wedge  26 . The stems  34  can be long enough so that the bridge  36  does not interfere with the tiles  24  that are up to 20 mm in thickness. For example, the stems  34  can suit tiles  24  of between about 14 mm and 20 mm in thickness. In that case, the spacer  28  can have a height of about 7 mm. 
     In this embodiment, the spacer  28  is positioned between the stems  34 . Each stem  34  has a square or rectangular cross-section and the line  29  bisects the stems  34 . Similarly, the spacer  28  has a rectangular cross section with the line  29  bisecting the spacer  28 . The spacer  28  has a thickness, in a direction orthogonal to the line  29 , that is greater than a thickness, in the same direction, of the stems  34 . In one example, the spacer  28  has a thickness of 2 mm and the thickness of the stems  34  is 1.85 mm. These thicknesses can vary depending on the application and other parameters, with the proviso that the spacer  28  serves to maintain a separation of the tiles or building modules to an extent that is enough to provide a clearance between the stems  34  and the edge portions  22 . 
     In  FIGS. 5 to 8 , reference numeral  40  generally indicates an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. With reference to the preceding drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. 
     The accessory  40  is suitable for levelling and aligning corner portions of four adjacent tiles  24 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     In this embodiment, a spacer  42  extends from the flange  12  between the stems  34 . The spacer  42  is generally cruciform with a first pair of aligned sections  44  in alignment with the stems  34  and positioned on the line  29 . The aligned sections  44  have a dimension, generally orthogonal to the line  29 , extending between the front and rear ends  14 ,  16  that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the web  20 . Thus, when adjacent pairs of tiles  24  are laid on respective front and rear sides of the web  20 , the edge portions  22  of those tiles can bear against respective front and rear sides  46  of the sections  44 . This sets up a clearance between the edge portions  22  and the web  20 . The sections  44  have a substantially uniform thickness along the line  29  to provide a stable surface for abutment with the edge portions  22 . 
     The spacer  42  is positioned between the stems  34  and can have a height that is the same as the height of the spacer  28 . The sections  44  each have a square or rectangular cross-section and the line  29  bisects the stems  34 . The sections  44  have a thickness, in a direction orthogonal to the line  29 , that is greater than a thickness, in the same direction, of the stems  34 . In one example, the sections  44  have a thickness of 2 mm and the thickness of the stems  34  is 1.85 mm. These thicknesses can vary depending on the application and other parameters, with the proviso that the sections  44  serve to maintain a separation of the tiles or building modules to an extent that is enough to provide a clearance between the stems  34  and the edge portions  22 . 
     The spacer  42  has a second pair of aligned sections  48  that are orthogonal to the sections  44  to form a generally cruciform shape. It will readily be appreciated that the sections  44 ,  48  need not necessarily form a single structure. The sections  48  could be in the form of two discrete further spacing formations or sections on each side of the spacer  28 , for example. In another example, there could be two discrete spacing formations or sections  44  and the sections  48  could be a single structure. In yet another example, the sections  44 ,  48  could all be spacing formations that are discrete from each other. 
     The sections  48  have a substantially uniform thickness that is equivalent to that of the sections  44  so that the sections  48  can serve to ensure that a spacing between two pairs of aligned tiles  24  is consistent. 
     In  FIGS. 9 to 12 , reference numeral  50  generally indicates an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. With reference to the preceding drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. 
     In this embodiment, two spacers  52  are mounted on the respective sides  18  of the flange  12 . Each of the spacers  52  has a dimension, generally orthogonal to the line  29 , extending between the front and rear ends  14 ,  16 , that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the web  20 . Thus, when adjacent tiles  24  are laid, the edge portions  22  can bear against respective front and rear sides  54  of the spacers  52 . This sets up a clearance between the edge portions  22  and the web  20 . The spacers  52  each have a substantially uniform thickness along the line  29  to provide a stable surface for abutment with the edge portions  22 . 
     The spacers  52  are positioned so that the line  29  bisects the spacers. Each spacer  52  has a square or rectangular cross-section with a thickness, in a direction orthogonal to the line  29 , that is greater than a thickness, in the same direction, of the stems  34 . In one example, the spacers  52  have a thickness of 2 mm. This thickness can vary depending on the application and other parameters, with the proviso that the spacers  52  serve to maintain a separation of the tiles or building modules to an extent that is enough to provide a clearance between the stems  34  and the edge portions  22 . 
     The wedge  26  is shown in some detail in  FIG. 12 . The wedge  26  has a serrated or toothed proximal surface  56 , defining a series of teeth, ridges or serrations  58  that extend transversely such that they can be aligned with a distal, internal edge  60  of the bridge  36 . The distal edge  60  of the bridge  36  and the serrations  58  can be configured so that the surface  56  can clip into engagement with the bridge  56  as the wedge  26  is driven into an opening defined by the bridge  36 , the stems  34  and surfaces  62  of the tiles  24 . 
     A manipulating formation  64  is arranged on a major end  66  of the wedge  26  to facilitate manipulation of the wedge  26 . 
     In  FIGS. 13 to 16 , reference numeral  70  generally indicates an embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. With reference to the preceding drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. 
     The accessory  70  includes a spacer  72  that interconnects the stems  34 . The spacer  72  is positioned so that it is located between the edge portions  22  of the adjacent tiles, in use. 
     The spacer  72  has a dimension, generally orthogonal to the line  29 , extending between the front and rear ends  14 ,  16 , that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the web  20 . Thus, when adjacent tiles  24  are laid, the edge portions  22  can bear against respective front and rear sides  74  of the spacer  72 . This sets up a clearance between the edge portions  22  and the web  20 . The spacer  72  has a substantially uniform thickness along the line  29  to provide a stable surface for abutment with the edge portions  22 . 
     In one example, the spacer  72  has a thickness of 2 mm. This thickness can vary depending on the application and other parameters, with the proviso that the spacer  28  serves to maintain a separation of the tiles or building modules to an extent that is enough to provide a clearance between the stems  34  and the edge portions  22 . 
     When tiles are laid on walls, as opposed to floor surfacing, the tiles can tend to move towards each other under gravity. It has been found that tilers are reluctant to use the devices described in the background to the specification because the web can get stuck between the end portions of the tiles. Consequently, attempts to break off the web portions can result in damage to the tiles. 
     This situation can be exacerbated when relatively heavy tiles, such as granite and other stone tiles, are used. Such tiles can clamp the webs of previous devices to such an extent that removal of the webs is difficult if not impossible. 
     In the above embodiments, the spacers serve to maintain the edge portions spaced apart to an extent that provides a level of clearance between the web  20  and the edge portions  22 . As a result, the edge portions do not interfere with the process of detaching or breaking off the webs  20  from the flanges  12  after laying wall tiles. 
     In use, the edge portion of a lower tile is positioned on the flange, on one side of the web and brought into abutment with the spacer. The edge portion of an upper tile is then positioned on the flange, on an opposite side of the web, and also brought into abutment with the spacer. This determines the gap between the tiles. The levelling device or wedge is then engaged with the web to carry out the levelling function. One the adhesive or other material has set or dried, the stems can readily be detached from the flange, since they are not being gripped by the edge portions. 
     In the above embodiments there is described a device that can be used for levelling and spacing wall tiles at the same time. As mentioned above, tilers have avoided using previous levelling devices on walls because of the clamping effect described above. The embodiments described herein avoid problems associated with that clamping effect because it is the spacers that are clamped and not the webs. 
     The accessory  40  is useful for use with adjacent corners of tiles. Currently, tilers use cruciform spacers at the corners. However, it is still necessary to use a separate levelling device. The accessory  40  provides the ability to achieve both spacing and levelling at the corners with the positioning of a single device. This is significantly quicker than a process that involves the steps of locating the cruciform spacers and levelling with a different tool. 
     In this case, the corner portions of four tiles are positioned on the flange with facing end portions of two tiles on one side of the web abutting the spacer and facing end portions of two tiles on the other side of the web abutting the spacer. The facing end portions of the two tiles on opposite sides of the web are also brought into abutment with the spacer. As before, once the adhesive or other material has set, the stems can readily be detached from the flange because they are not being gripped by the edge portions. 
     In  FIGS. 17 to 19 , reference numeral  80  generally indicates a further embodiment of a tile laying accessory, in accordance with the invention. With reference to the preceding drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. 
     In some cases, it is necessary that the tiles or building elements  24  be permitted to expand, to some degree, relative to each other as a result of changing temperatures and other factors. It will be appreciated that, in the various embodiments described above, the spacer will interfere with such expansion. Thus, the tile laying accessory  80  is configured to permit the spacer to be removed together with the stems  34 . 
     To that end, the tile laying accessory  80  has a spacer  82  that is connected to the flange  12  with a connector  84  that is configured to permit the spacer  82  to be broken away from the flange  12  such that neither the spacer  82  nor the connector  84  will obstruct movement of the tiles  24  as a result of expansion. 
     For example, as seen in the drawings, the connector  84  can be in the form of a tab that interconnects the spacer  82  and the flange  12 . The tab is configured to break away from the flange  12  at a junction between the flanges  12  and the tab  84 . 
     Thus, in use, once the tiles or building elements  24  are set, a suitable tool can be used to detach the spacer  22  and the connector  84  to leave an area which does not obstruct the expansion of the tiles. 
     It will be appreciated that the spacers  28 ,  52  of the accessories  10 ,  50  can also include similar connectors so that they can be broken off to accommodate expansion of the tiles. This will not be necessary with the accessory  70  since the spacer  72  is connected to the stems  34  and so will be removed together with those stems  34 . 
     The appended claims are to be considered as incorporated into the above description. 
     The use of common reference numerals is for convenience only and is not to be regarded as limiting. Furthermore, characteristics or components of the various embodiments described herein can be interchanged, where practical or reasonable to do so. 
     It is to be understood that the terminology employed above is for description and should not be regarded as limiting. The described embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof. The invention is capable of being practised with various modifications and additions as will readily occur to those skilled in the art. 
     When any number or range is described herein, unless clearly stated otherwise, that number or range is approximate. Recitation of ranges of values herein are intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value and each separate subrange defined by such separate values is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. 
     Words indicating direction or orientation, such as “front”, “rear”, “back”, etc, are used for convenience. The inventor(s) envisages that various embodiments can be used in a non-operative configuration, such as when presented for sale. Thus, such words are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.