Patent Publication Number: US-2007101492-A1

Title: Mold and process for forming a desired wall surface

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is a continuation in part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/774,063, filed Feb. 5, 2004, and entitled MOLD USABLE IN PROCESS OF FORMING A DESIRED WALL SURFACE, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/445,476, filed Feb. 5, 2003, and entitled “Process of Forming a Desired Wall Surface and Mold for Making Same”. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates generally to devices and methods of interior building construction, and more particularly to a novel process of forming a desired wall surface and mold for making the same.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Conventional methods for attaching bathroom fixtures to bathroom walls are relatively labor intensive. For example, to construct a recess in a shower wall for storing soap or shampoo, construction workers cut an opening in the wall and build a wood frame that defines the desired recess. The process of building the frame is time-consuming and adds unnecessary cost to the project. Further the frame building process can lead to irregularities in the ultimate recess of the shower wall because of the custom-nature of the operation. That conventional process is completed by building and finishing a recess (for example to be used as a shampoo/soap tray). A typical conventional process will take several hours, whereas the to-be-described process of the invention can be accomplished in several minutes.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention and constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a side-sectional view through line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has been modified in accordance with the process feature of the invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has been further modified relative to  FIG. 3  in accordance with the process feature of the invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has been further modified relative to  FIG. 3  in accordance with the process feature of the invention.  
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention and constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention and constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 8  is an isometric view showing shower wall surfaces that have formed according to the process of the invention, using the mold feature of the invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a front view of a mold feature of the invention and constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 10  is a side-sectional view through line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 .  
       FIG. 11  is an isometric view of the mold feature of  FIG. 9 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
      Referring to the drawings generally, the shape structure (also referred to herein as a mold) is shown first, and its construction will be described first below. Next, the pertinent sections and parts of the wall will be described. Finally, the process feature of the invention will complete the description.  
       FIG. 1  shows shape structure or mold  10  usable to form a to-be-described, desired wall surface. Mold  10  includes a first region  12 , which may be a flange, constructed for being attached to a to-be-described wall, and a second region  14 , which may also be thought of as a body, constructed for being located in an opening formed in that wall. As will be better understood in connection with the process description below, body  14  is constructed to form either a recess or a protrusion when placed in the opening of that wall.  
      Turning ahead to  FIG. 5 , flange  12  is constructed for being attached to a wall  16  and body  14  is constructed for being located in an opening  18  formed in wall  16 . Wall  16  is depicted in the drawings as a shower wall of a shower located in a residential house (undepicted). Referring to  FIGS. 3-5 , the interior of that shower wall is to the right in the drawings, and the exterior of that shower wall (the surface facing the outer structure of the house) is to the left in the drawings. Mold  10  also includes a third region  20  for fastening to wall  16 . Third region  20  is shown in the form of openings that allow a screws  22  (or other suitable fasteners) to pass through, ultimately to fasten mold  10  to wall surface  16 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3-5  collectively, preliminary wall  16  is modified by suitable means such as cutting to form an opening  18 . Cross-members  24  are located between wall  16  and the exterior structure of the house (undepicted) to provide support for the opening and ultimately for corresponding parts of mold  10 . Referring to  FIGS. 4-5 , one way to finish the surface of wall  16  is shown by existence of a wire-mesh layer ( FIG. 4 ) to which is applied a plaster or other suitable material  28  ( FIG. 5 ). Finally, the outer surface is finished with a coating  30  that may take the form of ceramic tile, paint, or other suitable coating material. As an alternative to the wire-mesh and plaster combination, so-called cement backer board may be used.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 6-7 , mold  10  may be formed in any desired shape. In  FIG. 6 , mold  110  is formed to be oriented as a protrusion in a wall surface. In  FIG. 7 , mold  210  is formed as a particular protrusion that extends outward of the wall so that it can be utilized as a bench in a shower (such as a square). The flange of the mold, such as flanges  114 ,  214  in  FIGS. 6-7  may be thought of as relatively large and relatively thin to optimize their use in attaching the mold to a preliminary wall  16 . Wall  16  may also be thought of as drywall.  
      Referring to  FIG. 8 , a shower  32  is shown with walls  34 , a nozzle  36  and a drain  38 . Various embodiments of the invention are shown including recess  10 , protrusions/shelves  110  and protrusion/bench  210 . One application of the process of the invention is to form either recesses or protrusions. The protrusions may be thought of as working surfaces (such as bench  210  shown in  FIG. 8 ) in a shower. For example, the inventions can be used to form recess  10  that extends into the shower wall, and has a desired shape (such as the square or rectangular shape of mold  10 , and at a minimum having a lower flat surface, for holding soap or shampoo). The invention can also be used to form shapes that extend inwardly toward the shower cavity, thus forming protrusions that can be used as shower bench  210  of  FIG. 8 , shelf  110  of  FIG. 8 , for a decorative and distinctive look (as shown by bench  210  and shelves  110 , or other desired purposes.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 9-11 , a second embodiment  310  of the mold feature of the invention is shown. Like mold  10  in  FIG. 1 , mold  310  in  FIGS. 9-11  includes a first region  312 , which may be a flange, constructed for being attached to a wall like the one described in connection with  FIGS. 6-7 , and a second region  314 , which may also be thought of as a body, constructed for being located in an opening formed in that wall. As understood from the above description associated with  FIGS. 6-7  and the process description below, body  314  is constructed to form either a recess or a protrusion when placed in the opening of that wall.  
      Still referring to  FIGS. 9-11 , an inner surface  315  of mold  310  is characterized by having plural recesses  315   a,    315   b  formed therein. Plural recesses may take any form, but it has been found especially effective to form them as square-shaped recesses  315   a  in what may be thought of as a floor  314   a  of body  314 , and as rectangular-shaped recesses or channels  315   b  in what may be thought of as sides (or walls)  314   b  of body  314 . As best shown in  FIG. 11 , channels  315   b  are also constructed to extend across the entire side  314   b  and into floor  314   a.  As will be best understood after reviewing the process description below, improved adhesion of the finished wall covering (e.g. tile, paint or other finish coatings) to the inner surface of body  314  is obtained by constructing the inner surface  315  with plural recesses  315   a,    315   b,  and preferably by the above-described square-shaped recesses  315   a  and rectangular-shaped channels  315   b.    
      Turning now to the process of the invention, that feature includes a process of forming a desired wall surface, that includes the steps of forming an opening  18  in a preliminary wall (such as wall  16  formed as drywall), fastening shape structure (also referred to as mold)  10  within the opening, and finishing mold  10  and preliminary wall  16  to achieve the desired wall surface. The fastening step includes the substeps of locating the mold within the opening, and attaching a region (flange  12 ) of the mold structure to preliminary wall  16 . As noted above, wall  16  is a preliminary wall of an interior building. The forming step may be done by cutting opening  18  in preliminary wall  16  using any suitable means such as a saw. The fastening step may also include choosing mold  10  ultimately to form a recess in the desired wall surface (see mold  10  in  FIG. 8 ), or to form a protrusion (see shelves  110  and bench  210 ) in the desired wall surface. By using mold  310 , the finishing step is most effective because plural recesses  315   a,    315   b  increase the surface area of inner surface  314 , thereby improving adhesion of desired finish coating to mold  310 .  
      Another way to describe process of the invention is as a process of forming a desired wall surface that includes the steps of forming an opening in a preliminary wall that has an interior surface, selecting a mold with a first and second region and a first surface, locating the first region adjacent the opening, fastening the first region of mold to the wall; and finishing the surface of the mold and the surface of the preliminary wall. These steps have been described in connection with  FIGS. 1-5  above.  
      The process also includes the step of sealing the first region of the mold relative to the wall. Sealing can be accomplished with any suitable water-proofing material such as a silicone sealant which is applied between flange  12  and wall  16 , and also applied over the interface between flange  12  and wall  16 . The ultimate step of finishing wall  16  and recess  10  may be accomplished by the wire-mesh/plaster method described above in connection with  FIGS. 4-5 , by applying ceramic tile, or by using a suitable coating material such as painting.  
      The Process feature of the invention may also be described as follows: An opening is formed in a preliminary wall surface such as drywall. Next, the flanged container formed in a desired shape (such as a square box) is attached to the drywall. Next, there is the step of applying a finished wall surface over the flange section of the container.  
      Put another way, the process includes the following steps:  
      1. form opening in the wall by cutting or some other suitable fit;  
      2. apply sealant or caulk to flange region of mold so that the opening in the wall is sealed against water leakage;  
      3. fasten the flange edge of mold to wall with suitable fasteners such as screws;  
      4. apply or form a suitable substrate, if desired, of the flange (suitable substrates may include lathe and plaster or cement, otherwise known as cement backer board);  
      5. if a suitable substrate is not desired, then finish the outer surface with tile, paint, or other finish coatings; and  
      6. if a substrate is used, a finished surface such as ceramic tile or other suitable materials can be applied over the substrate and over the remaining surface of the mold.  
      Put yet another way, the invention may be thought of as a water-proof substrate of molded plastic to be covered with tile or other finishing material. Summarizing the above process, the mold is fastened to a wall surface (e.g. drywall). The flange region of the mold is sealed so that moisture cannot pass through the barrier where the mold is attached to the wall surface, and then the mold is fastened to the surface.  
      While various alternative embodiments and arrangements of the process and mold of the invention have been shown and described above, numerous other embodiments, arrangements, and modifications are possible and are within the scope of the invention. The foregoing description includes all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application(s) to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application.