Patent Abstract:
A template to guide wallcovering applicators, be they professional or amateur, in the matching and cutting of any patterned wallcovering used to cover electrical switch and/or receptacle plates with the same patterned wallcovering applied to the wall contiguous to said wall plates.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Switch and receptacle plates are mandated by building code law in every nation on the globe where electricity is available.  
           [0002]    The average home now being built in America has over 150 wall plates, primarily mandated, with some extra wall plates installed for owner convenience.  
           [0003]    Globally, hundreds of millions of wall plates are sold annually, with an increasing number of them wrapped in wallpaper, or, as with recent wall plate design, having a transparent-plastic-shielded insert that is commonly a patterned wallpaper to match the pattern of the wallpaper around the wall plate.  
           [0004]    Whether the patterned wallpaper is cut to wrap around the wall plate or cut to insert into a decor-shielded wall plate, matching the pattern of the wallpaper cut for the wall plate with the pattern of the wallpaper surrounding the wall plate is commonly a trial-and-error, time consuming task for even professional wallcovering applicators. Pattern-matching for the non-professional applicator is commonly accomplished only after cutting-and-trying several times to gain an imperfect but acceptable match.  
           [0005]    This invention organizes the steps to a flawless, first time, every time matching of remotely-cut patterned wallcovering that is to be applied on wall plates surrounded by the same patterned wallcovering on a finished wall.  
         SPECIFICATION  
         [0006]    A template of transparent plastic with,  
           [0007]    1. (a) various holes die cut therein, said holes configured to match various electrical switch and/or receptacle configurations including attachment screw and other holes,  
           [0008]    (b) with various printing thereon to guide the user to the impermanent attachment of the template to the desired installed switches, receptacles or combinations thereof on a wall on which wallcovering has been applied,  
           [0009]    (c) said transparent template surface-textured to allow the user, when template is secured over the desired combination of switches and/or receptacles, to pencil-mark certain chosen pattern-keys on the template over the wallcovering thereunder at points near the periphery of the template.  
           [0010]    2. Detached from chosen switch and/or receptacle combinations, said template is,  
           [0011]    (a) taken to the identical wallcovering and pattern unrolled flat on a table-like surface,  
           [0012]    (b) momentarily attached with drafting tape over the same pattern keys on the identical wallcovering,  
           [0013]    (c) the template openings for switches and/or receptacles, and the perimeter of the wallcovering to be cut for said wall plates are pencil-marked on said wallcovering,  
           [0014]    (d) the attachment tape and template are removed from the wallcovering, pencil markings erased for the template&#39;s reuse,  
           [0015]    (e) and the matching pattern wallcovering insert or cover is cut for use in or on the wall plate, depending on the wall plate assembly design configuration. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    A more complete understanding of this invention and its advantages will be apparent from the detailed description when related to the following drawings in which:  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 Is a front elevation of this invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 Is a front elevational view of this invention temporarily attached on a double switch combination and over an applied patterned wallcovering with the pattern keys pencil-drawn on the template.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 Is a down-looking view of this invention positioned and temporarily corner-taped over the same pattern on an identical wallcovering material on a table-like surface remote from the double switches and applied wallcovering, having the four corner cut-keys penciled in on the rolled-out wallcovering.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 Is another down-looking view of that same corner-marked wallcovering with the wall plate assembly decor backer-plate temporarily drafting-tape-secured within the four corner cut-keys preparatory to using the decor backer-plate as a template for using a razor-pointed knife to cut the matched pattern insert for the double switch plate.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5. Is a front elevational view of the cut pattern-matched wallcovering that is the insert now enclosed and shielded in the wall plate assembly mounted on the two switches. The screws attaching this assembly to the switches are concealed.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of this invention attached to a switch by means of a temporary attachment fastener. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 referring in detail to the drawings, this invention includes the transparent template  1  on which are the switch openings  2 , receptacle openings  3 , attachment openings  4 , cut-guideline openings  5  for conventional wall plate cover-wrapping, cut guideline curved slot openings  6  for custom wall plate inserts, and graphic outline guides  7  delineating the several switch and/or receptacle combinations included in this one template tool.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of this invention showing the template  1  mounted over a double switch  8  around which wallcovering  12  is applied to the wall, the template  1  attached to the switch  8  mechanism by means of temporary attachment fasteners  9 .  
         [0025]    Three pattern-key elements  11  of the surrounding wallcovering  12  are shown pencil-drawn in outline on the template  1  over the outline of the pattern-key figures on the wallcovering  12  thereunder..  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 illustrates the template  1  with the pattern-key elements  11  of wallcovering identical to but remote from the wallcovering in FIG. 2 pencil-drawn on the template  1 , said template  1  temporarily taped over the pattern of the remote wallcovering  12  exactly matching that immediately surrounding the double switch openings  2  in the template, said openings shown astride the double switches illustrated in FIG. 2.  
         [0027]    Wallcovering cut-key guideline openings  5  marking the four corners of the matching wallcovering to be cut to wrap a conventional wall plate are shown.  
         [0028]    For cutting a match-pattern insert for wall plates designed to enclose and shield that wallcovering insert, only the pencil-marking of the four curved cut-key corners  6  on the underlaying wallcovering  12  is necessary to accurately cut said match-patterned insert.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 illustrates a double switch decor backer-plate  20  centered within the four curved cut-key corners  6  penciled on the patterned wallcovering  12  that the template which is the centerpiece of this invention has located on the remote rolled-out same-pattern wallcovering  12 .  
         [0030]    The pattern-matched insert thereunder  13  can now be cut in a variety of ways. A recommended method is scissor-cutting a two-inch-oversized piece of the wallcovering  12  in which the decor backer-plate  20 , taped to and centered in the four cut-key corners which exactly outline the corners of the desired pattern-matched insert  13 , is cut out of the rolled-out wallcovering  12 . Using a razor-point blade, with the decor backer-plate  20  as a template taped  14  over the pattern-matched insert  13 , and with an out-dated magazine as a cutting board, first cutting the two switch holes  2 .  
         [0031]    Finally, cutting the perimeter of the insert  13 , using the edge of the periphery of the decor backer-plate  20  as a guide, but cutting the wallcovering under the four strips of tape  14  one at a time, replacing each strip of tape  14  after the wallcovering under its position is cut when the remainder of the insert&#39;s  13  perimeter is cut.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5 illustrates the matched-pattern wallcovering insert  13  shielded in a wall plate assembly  22 , the pattern match of the insert  13  and the adjacent wallcovering  12  now being clear.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of one quick-attachment type of fastener  9  temporarily securing the template  1  to a switch  8  and over the wallcovering  12 .  
         [0034]    The template  1  may also be temporarily attached to switches  8  and/or receptacles by means of the flathead screws that are included with the wall plate assembly  22 .  
         [0035]    Many modifications can be made in the exemplary structure described above without exceeding the scope of the present invention. The invention is applicable also to switches and receptacles of any configuration and the cover plates therefor by simply producing the tool of a different size and holes configuration.  
         [0036]    While a certain embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4