Patent ID: 7493931

Claim:
A vibrating tile setting tool adapted and configured to interface with an upper surface of a tile, thereby to facilitate setting said tile in mud, said vibrating tile setting tool comprising: (a) a housing including a bottom wall with an aperture formed therethrough, a sidewall extending upward from said bottom wall which cooperates with said bottom wall to define a housing cavity, and a flange extending outward from said bottom wall beyond said sidewall; (b) a power supply disposed within said housing cavity; (c)a vibration mechanism located in said housing cavity, said vibration mechanism including a motor positioned above said bottom wall, said motor having an output shaft extending outward therefrom and passing through said aperture, said output shaft capable of rotating about an axis of rotation, a weight attached to said output shaft, said weight capable of rotating about an axis of rotation which is generally coaxially aligned with said axis of rotation of said output shaft, and a tile interface member secured to said flange outward of said sidewall, said tile interface member having a bottom surface adapted and configured to communicate with said upper surface of said tile, said vibrating mechanism capable of vibrating said housing when said vibration mechanism is activated, said vibration mechanism being effective to produce a vibration frequency, in said housing, of at least about 1,000 vibrations per minute; and said vibrating tile setting tool, in operation, having a total mass of no more than 5 pounds, whereby said vibrating tile setting tool realizes a vibration frequency to mass ratio of at least about 200 vibrations per minute per pound mass.