Patent Publication Number: US-6036015-A

Title: Package for lists of mosaic tesserae and the like

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention refers to a package of products for mosaic handworks and, in particular, to a package of lists for mosaic tesserae and the like, for example, tiles, marbles, frets, arrays of tesserae, etc. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the sector of the mosaic art, some work patterns, which used to be completed during the laying stage, are currently prepared prior to this stage. 
     In practice, the tesserae (or the other similar elements that make up a pattern, an ornament, etc.) are orderly grouped into lists of established dimensions and kept united by strips of opaque paper glued on the exposed or upper face of the tesserae. 
     Upon their disposition into place, such lists must be fixed on the surfaces to be coated, the latter being suitably treated with a binding agent. This operation may prove difficult to make and give rise to imperfections in the work because of the lack of a support able to guide the tesserae at the bottom and also because the strips, which keep the list of tesserae united, make it impossible to catch sight of the underlying tesserae. 
     The above indicated drawbacks may, therefore, contribute to deform, during the laying stage, the pattern previously composed with the tesserae, and/or induce errors in the junctions between the various portions of a given pattern. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the above problems by providing a package of products for mosaic handworks, especially a package of an arranged group or list for mosaic tesserae and the like, made up of a lower support and guide element and of an upper element for retaining and covering the tesserae. 
     According to the invention, an arranged group of tesserae package is provided including a plurality of tesserae disposed to form an arranged group of tesserae defining a portion of a pattern. A support element is disposed under the group of tesserae. A covering element is provided which covers the group of tesserae. The covering element is removably connected to an upper face of the group of tesserae. The covering element is also at least partially removably connected to the support element. The covering element joins each tesserae of the plurality of tesserae to each other tesserae of the plurality of tesserae. 
     The advantages deriving from the present invention include the possibility of maintaining the integrity of the pattern formed by the tesserae of each list and, at the same time, of accurately and easily joining the pattern portion relevant to each list of tesserae with the portions of pattern adjacent thereto. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be best understood by anyone skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings given as a practical exemplification of the invention, but not to be considered in a limitative sense, wherein: 
     FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 represent, in different scales, an embodiment of the present invention illustrated according to possible sequential laying stages, respectively, in top perpsective view (FIG. 1), in rear-side perspective view (FIG. 2), in top perspective view (FIG. 3), in plan view from above (FIG. 4) and in top perspective view (FIG. 5). 
    
    
     DESCRIPITION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the drawings of the attached figures which, as mentioned above, are just an examplary embodiment of the invention, a package (1) for an arranged group or a list of mosaic tesserae (2) comprise a lower support element (3) and an upper element (4) for reatining and covering the tesserae. 
     The lower support element (3) may be made and/or shaped in different ways. For example, it may be made of paper, cardboard, corrugated board, plastics material, metal sheet, etc., and may be more or less rigid. Moreover, the support element (3) is advantageously provided with peripheral raised edges (30) able to define, at least partially, a frame for retaining the supported list of tesserae (3). The height of such edges (30) will correspond to the thickness of the tesserae (2). One function of said support element (3) is to support the tessearae (2) to allow them to be laid in place more suitably. Moreover, the support element (3) allows a significant improvement in the packing, storage and transportation of a number of the same lists. 
     The upper covering element (4) holds and covers the upper surface of the tesserae (2) and results restrained by glueing (or other technically equivalent means) thereto. The upper covering element (4) may be made of self-stick paper or plastics, or being spread with adhesive material, and is advantageously of transparent material enabling the user to catch sight of the tesserae (2) being covered up. 
     The upper covering element (4) may be extended, as illustrated in the figures, over a surface slightly larger than the list of tesserae (2), so as to define a free edge or tab (40) making up a hold for manually removing the list from its support and subsequently detaching the covering element (4) from the list of tesserae (2) when the latter are put in place. The tab (40) illustrated in the attached drawings extends over a length substantially equal to the whole width of the package (1); the tab (40) being possibly shaped and/or constructed in different ways, for example in the form of a holding element separated from the covering element (4) but associated thereto. 
     The package may advantageously consist of an assembly in which the two elements for supporting (3) and covering (4) the tesserae are mutually engaged. 
     The procedure that can be followed in order to lay in place the tesserae contained in the package (1) is the one illustrated by way of example in the attached figures, starting with FIG. 1 and then referring to the others in progressive order. As a first operation (FIG. 1), the covering element (4) is removed from the rest of the package (1) only in correspondence of the opening side (5) by lifting up the tab (40) and thereby uncovering the package (1) on such side (5). 
     Thereafter, by using a cutting tool (6) partially shown in FIG. 1, the two elements (3) and (4) are separated from the package (1) by making a cut on the remaining three sides (7, 8, 9). 
     At this point, the list of tesserae (2) remains engaged only to the covering element (4) and can be transferred onto the surface (10) to be coated and on which the glue or other binder has been predisposed. 
     Such operation is performed either by holding and pulling the tab of the covering element, thereby making the same list sliding along the support element (3) and then laying the list of tesserae (2) on the surface (10) to be coated, or, after having pulled out a portion of the support list, by pressing the latter onto the surface to be coated and, afterwards, while withdrawing the support (3) with one hand, progressively exerting a pressure with the other hand on the list thus freed from the support. 
     Said sliding can be made easier thanks to the support frames (7) and (9) which are disposed opposite to each other to define guide means. Once the list of tesserae (2) is laid on the binder and the time for the necessary adhesion is elapsed, it is possible to separate the covering element (4) by exerting a draw through the tab (40) in a way similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5. 
     DESCRIPTION OF A FURTHER EMBODIMENT 
     According to a further embodiment of the present invention, said element for joining and covering the tesserae (2) is apt to be associated to the exposed face of same tesserae without engaging the support element (3), and it may be of a shape and dimensions substantially corresponding to those of the list defined by the assembly of tesserae (2). The list, with the thus joined tesserae (2) is able to be engaged with the support element (3) by means of a plastics sheet or the like--for example, a film of transparent, thermoshrinking plastics material known per se--intended to wrap up the whole and be removed upon the laying of the handwork. 
     Practically, all the construction details may vary in any equivalent way as far as the shape, dimensions, elements disposition, nature of the used materials are concerned, without nevertheless departing from the scope of the adopted solution idea and, thereby, remaining within the limits of the protection granted to the present patent for industrial invention.