Abstract:
A surface repair kit includes an air-permeable breathable membrane coated with a premeasured amount of joint compound in its wet state. The membrane is suspended in a semi-rigid flexible frame and an opposing cover sheet is affixed over the compound around the backside of the frame. This framed composition is encased in an airtight package to prevent the compound from hardening. Included in the packaging may be a wall patch with an adhesive surface that holds a peel-off covering. Sandpaper may also be included in the kits since some repairs may require a final light sanding. The outside of the packaging carries simple printed instructions for the user to carry out the steps of peel, press and roll with accompanying illustrations so that drywall repairs can be carried out even by an unskilled novice.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/926,076, filed Jan. 10, 2014, entitled Systems and Methods for Patching and Repairing Wall Board, and to PCT Application No. PCT/US2014/011103, filed Jan. 10, 2014, entitled Systems and Methods for Patching and Repairing Wall Board, both of which are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to wall and ceiling surface repair and materials. In particular, it relates to a repair patch for plaster or drywall surfaces which includes a patch and settable joint compound. 
         [0004]    2. Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    There are known various surface wall or ceiling surface repair systems that utilize a patch. These patching systems, however, require the handling of sticky, messy drywall compound and specialized knowledge and tools. Compound is measured, mixed, scooped and troweled over the patch and dries to a hardened surface, then it can be sanded smooth and flush with the surrounding wall. U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0191237, titled Drywall Repair Patch, discloses a repair patch which is pre-coated with a dry, water-hardenable cement product attached to one side of a porous substrate. While this joint repair compound is delivered with the patch substrate in place, it must be wetted and troweled smooth in the same manner as the commonly used tape and compound system. Therefore, this patch does not avoid direct contact with the messy and sticky joint compound and requires special troweling tools. Other prior art of which the Applicant is aware includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,525 entitled Drywall Patch issued to Amy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,861 entitled Structure and Method for Repair of Sheetrock Walls issued to Gilbreath and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0102381 entitled Drywall Patch and Method issued to McClurg. Applicant has also made advances in the area of drywall repair and holds U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,021,505, 8,328,970 and 8,381,474. However, none of these drywall repair systems anticipate or render obvious the Applicant&#39;s claimed drywall repair kit which provides a no-touch system of applying joint compound and which does not require expertise or special tools. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In order to meet the needs in the art described above, the present drywall repair kit has been devised. In its general form, one embodiment of the invention provides a novel method of applying, spreading and drying a wet, settable compound such as drywall joint compound. The applicant has found that by applying a flexible, breathable membrane sheet against the settable compound and then pressing the membrane sheet forcibly against the application surface such as a wall or a ceiling with the compound in between, a no-touch system of applying the compound can be achieved. This system provides a clean, mess-free surface with contour protection while drying. Once dry, the membrane is peeled away from the compound. A translucent sheet of microporous “breathable” polyethelene or polypropylene membrane, such as MicroPro™ breathable plastic film sold by Clopay Corporation, 8585 Duke Boulevard, Mason, Ohio 45040, has been found to be particularly advantageous for applying and drying the compound. According to one embodiment of the invention, the air-permeable breathable membrane is coated with a pre-measured amount of joint compound in its wet state, making it immediately available for application to a wall surface. The membrane is suspended in a semi-rigid flexible frame which aids in ease and convenience of handling. An opposing cover sheet is affixed over the compound around the outside edges of the membrane by a peel away adhesive on the back of the membrane thus sandwiching the compound between the cover sheet and the membrane. Once the cover sheet is removed exposing the compound, the membrane adhesive remains active so that the frame will stick to the wall surface around the repair area. 
         [0007]    Any smoothing device, such as a roller or straight-edge or even the user&#39;s hand, may be used to apply the smoothing pressure to spread the compound. If a translucent material is used for the membrane, the progress of the spreading of the compound can be observed as pressure is applied in different amounts and in different directions. After the compound has been applied smoothly and evenly across both the dry-patch surface and the surrounding application surfaces, the joint compound is then left to dry in the usual manner, and once dry, the framed membrane is then peeled away and discarded. As a final step in the smoothing process, a damp sponge or a light sandpaper may be used to feather the edges of the compound to provide a continuous surface over the repaired area. After the repair is completed, the remaining elements of the kit may be disposed of since the next repair can utilize another kit that will again have all materials necessary to effect a completed repair. 
         [0008]    As delivered to the end user, this frame composition is encased in an airtight package to prevent the compound from hardening. Included in the packaging may be a wall patch with an adhesive surface that includes a peel-away covering. Sandpaper may also be included since some repairs may require final light sanding. The outside of the packaging has simple printed instructions for the user to carry out the steps of peel, press and roll with accompanying illustrations so that drywall repairs can be carried out even by an unskilled novice. The package therefore contains a complete repair kit. 
         [0009]    Thus, it will be fully appreciated that the invention provides a no-touch wall repair system which is easy to use, requires no special tools or expertise, keeps waste material to a minimum and is easily disposable. While the aforementioned repair system is convenient for small cracks and holes in walls or ceilings of wallboard and plastered surfaces, an alternate embodiment of the invention provides a system for repairing larger or longer cracks or for covering access holes cut into the wall board. This alternate system is similar in concept to the system described above except that the patch includes a plug which matches the wall board hole. The frame includes grooves that add flexibility to the frame so that it can be bent into or around corners or curved surfaces. 
         [0010]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0011]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings, like numerals represent like elements, and: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a top left front isometric view of the package containing the repair kit of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of the repair kit package. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a top left front isometric view of the various components of the repair kit. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a top left rear isometric assembly view. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a front elevation view. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a top left rear isometric assembly view. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a front elevation view with the operator&#39;s hand shown in phantom 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a front elevation view. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a top plan sectional view taken from  FIG. 8  as shown in that Figure. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a top left front isometric view of an alternate wall patch. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a top front isometric view. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a top front isometric view. 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  is a top front isometric view. 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  is a top front left isometric view. 
           [0027]      FIG. 15  is a top front isometric assembly view. 
           [0028]      FIG. 16  is a top left front isometric view. 
           [0029]      FIG. 17  is a top rear isometric view; 
           [0030]      FIG. 18  illustrates and embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 19  illustrates and embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    Computer-implemented platforms, engines, systems and methods of use are disclosed that provide networked access to a plurality of types of digital content, including but not limited to video, audio, metadata, interactive and document content, and that track, deliver manipulate, transform and report the accessed content. Described embodiments of these platforms, engines, systems and methods are intended to be exemplary and not limiting. As such, it is contemplated that the herein described systems and methods can be adapted to provide many types of cloud-based va 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of the invention comprises packaging  11  formed of front  13  and rear  15  panels bonded around their periphery to form a containment void between them to hold the various elements of the present wall repair kit described in more detail below. As shown in this Figure, the outside of the package includes written instructions for using the repair kit including illustrations  17  which depict its use. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of the kit package shown in  FIG. 1 . The bonded packaging panels  13  and  15  may be manually separated to open the package as depicted in the top right corner of this figure. The bonding of the front and rear panels establishes an airtight package for the wet settable elements of the repair kit. In the depicted embodiment, the rear panel includes printed directions  16  for the place, peel, press and roll steps carrying out this embodiment of the invention in greater detail. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , this embodiment of the repair kit includes a patch  31 , a sanding disc  33 , a packet  36  of additional wet settable repair compound and a framed quantity of compound  34  held suspended within a frame  37  between two flexible sheets, a breathable membrane  32  and a rear cover sheet  30 . The frame  37  which is preferably made of plastic includes parallel grooves  29  which enable the frame to be folded or bent to conform to non-planar surfaces as further depicted in  FIGS. 11-14 . As depicted in  FIG. 4 , the patch  31  preferably includes an adhesive  38  applied to its backside which is protected and preserved by a peel-off backing  39 . In this embodiment, the kit is shown applied to the surface of a wall  40  such as one composed of drywall wall board. The first step in the repair process is to apply the wall patch over the damaged area  41  of the wall  40  so that it is adhesively held in place as shown in  FIG. 5 . The patch is preferably perforated with holes  44 . 
         [0036]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the patch  31 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , may take any geometric form and may, for example, be square and/or rectangular. Similarly, other aspects of the present invention may take on various forms. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, frame  37  may be circular and may be sized to accommodate a regularly sized patchable area. Such an area needing repair may be formed by a door handle, for example, and by such objects which may create damage to drywall having approximately the same area of damage. An advantage of having circular aspects to portions of the present invention may include the avoidance of corners which may protrude through the final application of plaster over a repaired area. By way of example, corners to a frame, for example, may lack sufficient support and/or adhesion to withstand protrusion through and applied plaster. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  depicts the next step in the process which includes removing a protective rear covering  30  which sandwiches a quantity of wet settable repair compound  34  against the back of the breathable membrane sheet  32  which in turn is adhesively affixed to a backside of the frame  37 . The rear surface of the membrane includes an active adhesive preserved by the peel-off backing  30 . When the cover sheet is removed, this adhesive secures the frame to the wall with an open area of the frame encompassing the wall damaged area and patch as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the next step in the process is to manually apply pressure to the breathable membrane to spread the compound  34  over the wall  40  and into holes  44  in the patch  31  with the frame  37  remaining adhesively affixed to the wall. The compound  34  is now allowed to dry as air in the surrounding environment penetrates the membrane  32  and permits moisture to be expelled from the compound  34 . Once the compound is dry, the frame is removed revealing the compound spread evenly over the patched damaged area as shown in  FIG. 8 . The sanding disc  42  may now be used to feather the edges of the dried compound to achieve a smooth finish. 
         [0039]      FIG. 9  shows the finished dried compound  34  covering the damaged area  41  of the wall  40 . As seen in this Figure, some of the compound has passed through holes in the patch  31  interlocking the dried compound with the patch  31 .  FIG. 10  depicts an alternate embodiment of the patch  43  which has an overall square shape rather than round as depicted in the previous figures of drawings. 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIGS. 11-14 , the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  is shown applied to non-planar surfaces. The grooves  29  in the frame  37  which is preferably made of plastic provide lines of weakness to accommodate folding the frame about corners such as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 .  FIG. 13  depicts the resulting repair  45  on the convex corner  44  of  FIG. 12 .  FIG. 14  shows how the lines of weakness can add flexibility to the frame so that it may be bent to conform to the contour of curved surfaces such as the cylindrical pipe  46  shown in this Figure. 
         [0041]      FIGS. 15 ,  16  and  17  show different embodiments of specialized patches designed to match and plug a pre-cut hole in wall board  50  such as a circular hole  51  as shown in  FIG. 11 . In the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the patch includes a front sheet  52  to which different types of circular plugs  53  have been affixed. In both embodiments, a peel-off backing  54  preserves adhesive  55  on the back of the sheet so that it remains active when applied to the wall board. The front sheet is always larger than the plug so that it spans the seam between the plug and the wall board hole. The plugs shown in  FIGS. 15-17  all include cylindrical sides  60  which are slightly tapered to provide a snug press-fit between the plug and the wall board. The embodiment in  FIG. 16  depicts a square front sheet  52  which carries a circular plug  53  composed of molded foam. The embodiment shown in  FIG. 17  depicts a one-piece molded plastic plug  56  having a circular flange  58  and a cup-shaped plug  57  which has perforations that provide interlocking engagement with the repair compound once it has set. This embodiment also includes a plurality of radially extending tabs  59  which also aid in securing the plug to the wall board. 
         [0042]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the extending tabs  59 , as illustrated in  FIG. 17 , may be of a different geometry and may preferably be rounded. As discussed above, the elimination of corners through the use of a rounded portion may discourage protrusion of a an otherwise squared corner, for example. The tabs  59  may also, for example, be elongated and/or be of a shape which increases the adhesive distance from the center of the damaged area, such as through a triangular shape. 
         [0043]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the membrane  32  may comprise an opening to allow frame  37  and compound  34  to be placed around at least one protruding wall object. Such a protruding object may include pipe(s), wire(s), a hose(s), for example, and includes any object protruding through drywall for which the frame  37  may surround. As illustrated in  FIG. 18 , the membrane  32  may include an opening sized to accommodate a protruding object, preferably a round object, to allow for a substantially close application of compound  34 . The opening may be of any size and may be sized to accommodate ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, ¾″ and 1″ pipes, for example. 
         [0044]    In a retail setting, a selection of units may be sold which include a plurality at least one membrane  32  and frame  37  set comprising the aforementioned sized pipes. In this way, a complete kit may be purchased for use with multiple sized protrusions and/or protrusions of an unknown size. Although the opening may be die cut prior to sale, such an opening may be marked on an otherwise substantially complete membrane  32  allowing the user to cut the desired portion out on-site. In this way, the invention may be customized to a particular sized protrusion and/or protrusion location. 
         [0045]    Furthermore, a very typical opening cut into drywall may be a square and may be more particularly cut to allow for an electrical box to protrude. Although such boxes may range from a single switch to a gang of eight, for example, such boxes generally have the same height which is standard as between box manufacturers, often based on code requirements. When an opening in a piece of drywall is cut to accommodate such a box, miscuts may occur. Such miscuts are very often horizontally configured mistakes, meaning that the opening, while generally having the correct dimensions to accommodate the desired box, is horizontally askew of the necessary installation position. This happens more often than not when drywall is cut prior to installation through a measuring error by the installer. 
         [0046]    Such miscuts are generally proportionally small in nature and may, for example, extend less than 1″ beyond the tolerance allowed for such errors (absent additional drywall installation, the tolerance for such an error generally equals the maximum coverage of the decorative plate used with the box, for example). Further, such miscuts are difficult to repair given at least two factors. One, the opening may be in space and may not allow access to any suitable attachment foundation, such as, for example, a wall stud. Two, even with access to a suitable attachment foundation, the small size of the repair piece of drywall is difficult to successfully attach, whether due to the fragile nature of the piece and/or the difficultly in quickly and efficiently getting the piece in the correct position. 
         [0047]    To overcome this problem, in an embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in  FIG. 19  a patch may include a pre-cut portion of drywall sized to an opening having the height of a standard electrical box and having a width greater than 1″, such as, for example, 2″. In this embodiment, the patch may include a sheet  72  having attached thereto the repair portion of drywall  74  and may further include a peel-off backing  76  which preserves adhesive  78  on the back of sheet  72  so that it remains active when applied to the drywall. 
         [0048]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the pre-cut portion of drywall included with a patch may be larger than is needed and may be trimmed by a user prior to installation. This may allow for a customized fit not otherwise determinable in advance of the miscut being made. The pre-cut portion may be of any thickness and may, as described herein, be one of any standard thickness, such as, for example, ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, and ¾″. The drywall may be of any commercially available type and may be, for example, fire-resistant drywall and mold-resistant drywall, for example. 
         [0049]    Similarly, such a solution may be applied to any size application and may be customized as needed. For example, the pre-cut portion may be sized for HVAC duct work and other larger openings. Similarly, the pre-cut portion may take any desired shape and may be, for example, of an “L” shape to accommodate openings either miscut on two sides and/or deliberately made larger than protruding object to allow for proper installation, which may include, for example, the addition of insulation and/or other covering to the protruding object. 
         [0050]    In addition to the inclusion of adhesives and/or plaster, other materials may be included with a repair kit to provide additional functionalities and features. For example, a fire caulk, such as 3M™ Fire Barrier Sealant CP 25WB+, for example, may be used for sealing single or multiple through penetrations in fire-rated construction applications. Such fire protection is typically required in mechanical, electrical and plumbing applications to firestop openings created by penetrations in fire-rated floors, floor/ceilings or walls, such as, for example, metallic pipe, plastic pipe, conduit, power and communication cable, cable trays, busways, combos, insulated pipe and HVAC duct penetrations. The present invention may be used to wrap around these penetrations and/or may be used to firestop blank openings and/or static construction joints. 
         [0051]    Application of materials is this way may provide for greater application success and conservation of materials. Application success may be achieved in a number of ways including proper sealing and/or repair of an opening, for example. Application time may also be reduced given that the materials needed for the job are contained in one item. For example, the application of fire caulk is generally achieved through using a tube of caulk and a caulk gun and/or a tub/bucket of caulk applied with a trowel. In each case, the application of caulk may not be optimal, whether that means that too much or too little caulk is applied. The application of too much caulk may result in wasted product and money, the application of too little caulk may result in poor/non-performance of the caulk when needed and may, for example, necessitate reapplication after inspection, each a costly proposition. 
         [0052]    Application time may also be dramatically reduced by allowing an applicator to necessarily carry all the items necessary for an application (of caulk for example) with them instead of leaving behind and/or forgetting to keep proximate to them the tools needed to complete such a job. Further, since each packet may be used on a single application, the applicator may more easily estimate the amount of applications needed (and conversely the number of packets needed) avoiding miscalculation based on the volume of a caulk tube and/or bucket and the amount of caulk possibly lost in the variation of amounts applied through other methods. 
         [0053]    Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the herein described systems and methods may be subject to various modifications and alternative constructions. There is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to the specific constructions described herein. Rather, the herein described systems and methods are intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the scope and spirit of the invention and its equivalents.