U.S. patent application number 12/277229 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-04 for texture material for covering a repaired portion of a textured surface.
This patent application is currently assigned to HOMAX PRODUCTS, INC.. Invention is credited to Ross Clawson, Lester R. Greer, JR., John Kordosh.
Application Number | 20090140012 12/277229 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34798264 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090140012 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Greer, JR.; Lester R. ; et
al. |
June 4, 2009 |
Texture Material for Covering a Repaired Portion of a Textured
Surface
Abstract
A texturing system for applying a desired texture pattern on a
patched portion of a surface. The texturing system comprises
texture material, a dispensing system for dispensing the texture
material, and a selecting system. The texture material comprises a
carrier, a binder, a filler, and a change material. The texture
material changes from a wet form to a solidified form when exposed
to air. The change material changes appearance when the texture
material changes from the wet form to the solidified form. The
selecting system is supported by the dispensing system such that
texture material dispensed from the dispensing system is dispensed
through an outlet opening in the desired texture pattern. The
dispensing system is used to deposit the texture material onto the
patched portion of the surface in the desired texture pattern.
Inventors: |
Greer, JR.; Lester R.;
(Jersey City, NJ) ; Kordosh; John; (Simi Valley,
CA) ; Clawson; Ross; (Bellingham, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHACHT LAW OFFICE, INC.
SUITE 202, 2801 MERIDIAN STREET
BELLINGHAM
WA
98225-2412
US
|
Assignee: |
HOMAX PRODUCTS, INC.
Bellingham
WA
|
Family ID: |
34798264 |
Appl. No.: |
12/277229 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11045412 |
Jan 27, 2005 |
|
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12277229 |
|
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60539681 |
Jan 28, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/402.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05D 5/061 20130101;
B05D 5/00 20130101; B05B 1/14 20130101; B05B 1/34 20130101; B65D
83/7532 20130101; B05B 9/04 20130101; B05B 1/1654 20130101; C08K
5/18 20130101; B65D 83/48 20130101; B65D 83/38 20130101; B05D 1/02
20130101; A61Q 17/04 20130101; C08K 5/17 20130101; B65D 83/752
20130101; B65D 83/68 20130101; B05B 1/12 20130101; B05B 15/65
20180201; B05B 1/16 20130101; B65D 83/44 20130101; B65D 83/20
20130101; B05B 7/2435 20130101; B05B 1/1645 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/402.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 83/00 20060101
B65D083/00 |
Claims
1. An aerosol system for applying a desired texture pattern on a
patched portion of a surface having a surface coating portion with
a pre-existing texture pattern, where the patched portion of the
surface does not have the pre-existing texture pattern: texture
material comprising substantially between 25% and 35% of a carrier,
substantially between 4.5% and 5.5% of a binder, substantially
between 40% and 60% of a filler, substantially between 10% and 15%
of propellant, and substantially between 0.003% and 0.007% of a
change material, where the texture material changes from a wet form
to a solidified form when exposed to air, and the change material
changes appearance when the texture material changes from the wet
form to the solidified form; an aerosol system for dispensing the
texture material; a selecting system defining an outlet opening,
where the selecting system is supported by the aerosol system such
that texture material dispensed from the aerosol system is
dispensed through the outlet opening in any one of a plurality of
spray patterns; whereby the selecting system is configured such the
spray pattern corresponds to the desired texture pattern; and the
aerosol system is arranged such that operating the aerosol system
to dispense the texture material causes the texture material to be
deposited onto the patched portion of the surface in the desired
texture pattern.
2. A texturing system as recited in claim 1, in which the aerosol
system comprises an actuator member, in which the selecting system
comprises a plurality of tubes, where each tube defines an outlet
opening having a different cross-sectional area and one of the
tubes is attached to the actuator member to obtain the desired
spray pattern.
3. A method of applying a desired texture pattern on a patched
portion of a surface having a surface coating portion with a
pre-existing texture pattern, where the patched portion of the
surface does not have the pre-existing texture pattern, the method
comprising the steps of: providing texture material comprising
substantially between 25% and 35% of a carrier, substantially
between 4.5% and 5.5% of a binder, substantially between 40% and
60% of a filler, substantially between 10% and 15% of propellant,
and substantially between 0.003% and 0.007% of a change material,
where the texture material changes from a wet form to a solidified
form when exposed to air, and the change material changes
appearance when the texture material changes from the wet form to
the solidified form; providing an aerosol system for dispensing the
texture material; providing a selecting system defining an outlet
opening; supporting the selecting system on the aerosol system such
that texture material dispensed from the aerosol system is
dispensed through the outlet opening in any one of a plurality of
spray patterns; configuring the selecting system such that the
spray pattern corresponds to the desired texture pattern; and
arranging the aerosol system such that the outlet opening is
adjacent to the patched portion of the surface; operating the
aerosol system to deposit the texture material onto the patched
portion of the surface in the desired texture pattern; and allowing
the texture material to dry such that the texture material changes
from the wet form to the solidified form and the change material
changes appearance.
4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of
applying a coating of paint onto the texture material in the
solidified form.
5. An aerosol system for applying a desired texture pattern on a
patched portion of a surface having a surface coating portion with
a pre-existing texture pattern, where the patched portion of the
surface does not have the pre-existing texture pattern: texture
material comprising substantially between 25 and 35 percent by
weight, inclusive, of a carrier, substantially between 4.5 and 5.5
percent by weight, inclusive, of a binder, substantially between 40
and 60 percent by weight, inclusive, of a filler, substantially
between 10 and 15 percent by weight, inclusive, of a propellant,
and substantially between 0.003 and 0.007 percent by weight,
inclusive, of a change material, where the texture material changes
from a wet form to a solidified form when exposed to air, and the
change material changes color when the texture material changes
from the wet form to the solidified form; an aerosol system for
dispensing the texture material; and a selecting system defining an
outlet opening, where the selecting system is supported by the
aerosol system such that texture material dispensed from the
aerosol system is dispensed through the outlet opening in any one
of a plurality of spray patterns; whereby the selecting system is
configured such the spray pattern corresponds to the desired
texture pattern; and the aerosol system is arranged such that
operating the aerosol system to dispense the texture material
causes the texture material to be deposited onto the patched
portion of the surface in the desired texture pattern.
6. A texturing system as recited in claim 5, in which the aerosol
system comprises an actuator member, in which the selecting system
comprises a plurality of tubes, where each tube defines an outlet
opening having a different cross-sectional area and one of the
tubes is attached to the actuator member to obtain the desired
spray pattern.
7. A texturing system as recited in claim 5, in which the change
material is selected from a group of texture materials consisting
of bromothymol blue, phenolphthalein, and thymolphthalein.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application (Attorney's Ref. No. P216069) is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/045,412 filed on
Jan. 27, 2005, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/539,681 filed Jan. 28, 2004.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to systems and methods for
forming a texture on a surface and, more specifically, to texturing
systems and methods adapted to apply texture material to cover a
repaired portion of a surface having a pre-existing texture formed
thereon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Wall and other surfaces are often textured. Textures can be
an integral part of the surface, such as with a concrete or wood
wall, or can be a separate layer or coating applied to an
underlying structural member for aesthetic purposes. The texture
can be patterned, as in the case of wood grain, or can be random or
variegated, such as with a conventional sprayed on texture
coating.
[0004] A problem arises when the surface on which a texture pattern
has been formed is damaged. The damage may arise from any one of a
number of causes such as a dent or hole from an impact,
discoloration or the like from water damage, and seams left after
the removal and replacement of a portion of structural wall member
to allow access through the wall. After the damage has been
repaired, the texture on the repaired portion of the wall often
does not match the pre-existing texture pattern on the wall around
the repaired portion.
[0005] One class of surface texture is formed by applying a coating
material to the wall surface. Typically, this type of texture
material is initially applied to a structural drywall member using
a spray applicator that combines the texture material in wet form
with a stream of pressurized air. This type of texture material
will be referred to herein as drywall texture material. Drywall
texture material is typically white and is not usually appropriate
as a finish surface, so at least one coat of paint is typically
applied over the texture material to form the finish surface.
[0006] Aerosol systems for dispensing drywall texture material
typically include a system for varying the size of an outlet
opening defined by the system to allow the texture pattern formed
thereby to be altered to match the pre-existing texture pattern.
The present invention is of particular importance when embodied as
a system or method for applying drywall texture material during the
process of repairing a structural drywall member, and that
application of the present invention will be described herein in
detail. The present invention may, however, have application to
other types of texture materials and application systems. The scope
of the present invention should thus be determined by the claims
appended hereto and not the present background discussion and
following detailed description of the invention.
[0007] One problem with repair systems for dispensing drywall
texture material is that the coating formed thereby does not set in
the desired pattern until the texture material dries. If paint is
brushed or rolled onto the texture material before it has dried,
the mechanical action of applying the paint over the undried
texture material can unacceptably alter the texture pattern. On the
other hand, it is desirable to complete the repair job as soon as
possible, which requires that paint be applied to the texture
material covering the patched region as soon as possible after the
texture material has dried.
[0008] Additionally, most texture material is white, and white or
off-white is a common interior paint color. When a number of small
holes in a room are repaired, it can be difficult to determine
where the repairs have been made when because the white texture
material on the repaired area does not stand out against the
background of white paint.
[0009] The need thus exists for systems and methods for applying
drywall texture material to wall surfaces that: (a) allow paint to
be applied over the texture material as soon as possible without
altering the texture pattern; and/or (b) help identify where
repairs have been made in the wall.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention may be embodied as a texturing system
for applying a desired texture pattern on a patched portion of a
surface. The texturing system comprises texture material, a
dispensing system for dispensing the texture material, and a
selecting system. The texture material comprises a carrier, a
binder, a filler, and a change material. The texture material
changes from a wet form to a solidified form when exposed to air.
The change material changes appearance when the texture material
changes from the wet form to the solidified form. The selecting
system defines an outlet opening. The selecting system is supported
by the dispensing system such that texture material dispensed from
the dispensing system is dispensed through the outlet opening in
any one of a plurality of spray patterns. The selecting system is
configured such the spray pattern corresponds to the desired
texture pattern. The dispensing system is arranged such that
operating the dispensing system to dispense the texture material
causes the texture material to be deposited onto the patched
portion of the surface in the desired texture pattern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view depicting an aerosol system
for dispensing texture material of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view depicting a patched portion
of a textured wall onto which texture material is to be
applied;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a front elevation view depicting the patched
portion of the textured wall of FIG. 2 with texture material of the
present invention applied thereto;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view depicting the patched
portion of the textured wall of FIG. 3 after a time interval after
which the texture material of the present invention has dried;
and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view depicting the patched
portion of the textured wall of FIG. 4 after paint has been applied
over the dried texture material of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 of the drawing,
these figures depict a texturing system 10 for dispensing a texture
material 20 formulated in accordance with, and embodying, the
principles of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows that the
texturing system comprises a dispensing system 22 for applying the
texture material 20 to a surface 24 of a structural member 26.
FIGS. 1-5 show that a pre-existing surface coating 28 has been
applied to the surface 24.
[0017] The structural member 26 has been repaired to define a
patched portion 30 that is surrounded by an un-patched portion 32.
The patched portion 30 is textured with the texture material 20 as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and coated with a paint layer 34 as shown in
FIG. 5.
[0018] The texture material 20 takes several forms in the process
depicted in FIGS. 1-5. When stored in and dispensed from the
dispensing system 22, the texture material 20 is in a liquid form
20a. When deposited onto the patched portion 30 of the surface 24,
the texture material 20 is in a wet form 20b in which the texture
material 20 has a physical structure but is malleable. After the
texture material 20 dries, the texture material 20 is in a
solidified form 20c in which the texture material is no longer
malleable.
[0019] Importantly, the texture material 20 is formulated such that
the appearance of the texture material 20 is different in the wet
form 20b than when in the solidified form 20c. As will be described
in further detail below, the change in appearance between the wet
and solidified forms allows the user to know when the texture
material 20 may be painted.
[0020] With foregoing general understanding of the present
invention in mind, the details of construction and operation of the
use of the texture material 20 will now be described in further
detail.
[0021] The dispensing system 22, structural member 26, pre-existing
surface coating 28, and paint layer all are or may be conventional
and will be described herein only to the extent necessary for a
complete understanding of the present invention.
[0022] The exemplary dispensing system 22 is an aerosol dispensing
system comprising a container assembly 40, an actuator member 42,
and an outlet tube 44 defining an outlet opening 46. The texture
material 20 in the liquid form 20a is stored within the container
assembly 40 under pressure and in a substantially air-tight manner.
The outlet tube 44 is supported by the actuator member 42.
Depressing the actuator member 42 causes a valve assembly (not
shown) within the container assembly 40 to open, thereby allowing
the pressurized liquid texture material 20a to flow out of the
container assembly 40 through the outlet opening 46 defined by the
outlet tube 44.
[0023] Dispensing systems other than the aerosol dispensing system
22 may be used to dispense the texture material 20. As examples,
the texture material 20 may be dispensed by using an aerosol system
as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,198 and 6,152,335, a hand pump
dispenser as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,387, or a hopper gun
as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,736.
[0024] The outlet tube 44 forms a part of a selecting system 48 for
selecting the texture pattern created when the liquid texture
material 20a is deposited onto the surface 24 of the structural
member 26. In particular, a plurality of outlet tubes 44 each
defining an outlet opening 46 having a different cross-sectional
area may be provided. Each cross-sectional area is associated with
a different texture pattern, and the appropriate outlet tube 44 is
selected to substantially match the texture pattern of the
pre-existing surface coating 28. Selecting systems using straws
like the selecting system 48 are described in U.S. Pat. No.
6,116,473. The selecting system may be formed by other selecting
systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,842. The
disclosures of the '473 and '842 patents are incorporated herein by
reference.
[0025] The structural member 26 is typically a sheet of material
referred to as drywall material. Drywall material is relatively
inexpensive and has desirable structural and fire-resistant
properties, but the surface 24 thereof is not finished. At a
minimum, the surface 24 is typically painted or covered with
wallpaper. In FIGS. 1-5, this surface 24 was originally sprayed
with texture material to form an irregular texture pattern and then
painted to obtain the pre-existing surface coating 28.
[0026] More specifically, the exemplary pre-existing surface
coating 28 comprises a texture layer 50 with a pre-existing texture
pattern and a paint layer 52 with a pre-existing color and finish.
Accordingly, when the patched portion 30 of the structural member
26 is formed, the surface 24 of the structural member 26 at the
patched portion 30 looks and feels different than the pre-existing
surface coating 28 on the surface 24 of the structural member 26
surrounding the patched portion 30.
[0027] The process of applying the texture material 20 to the
surface 24 of the structural member 26 using the exemplary
dispensing system 22 will now be described in detail. Initially, as
generally described above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface
24 of the structural member 26 is exposed within the patched
portion 30 after the structural member 26 has been repaired.
[0028] The selecting system 48 is initially configured to cause the
texture material 20 to be dispensed from the dispensing system 22
in a spray pattern that will result in a desired texture pattern
that substantially matches the texture pattern of the pre-existing
surface coating 28. The dispensing system 22 is then arranged such
that the outlet opening 46 is adjacent to, and the outlet tube 44
is aimed towards, the patched portion 30. The actuator member 42 is
then depressed to cause the liquid texture material 20a to be
deposited onto the patched portion 30 of the surface 24 of the
structural member 26.
[0029] When initially deposited onto the surface 24, the texture
material is in the form of the wet texture material 20b. The wet
texture material 20b contains substantially the same moisture
content as the liquid texture material 20a, but the physical
structure of the wet texture material 20b corresponds to the
desired texture pattern. The wet texture material 20b is malleable,
however, and the physical structure thereof can be altered by
physical contact.
[0030] When deposited onto the surface 24, the material 20 is
exposed to ambient air and begins to dry. After a period of time,
the wet texture material 20b dries sufficiently to change into the
solidified texture material 20c. The solidified texture material
20c is no longer malleable and may be coated with paint using
conventional painting techniques without altering the physical
structure thereof. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the paint layer
34 may be applied to the solidified texture material 20c without
changing the desired texture pattern associated with the texture
material 20 in the wet 25 and solidified forms 20b and 20c.
[0031] As generally described above, the texture material 20 is
formulated such that the visual appearance of the texture material
20 in the wet form 20b differs from that of the texture material 20
in the solidified form 20c. The change in visual appearance between
the wet and solidified forms 20b and 20c may take the form of any
one or more of a number of characteristics such as glossiness,
color, or the like. The person making the repair is thus able to
visually discern when the paint layer 34 may be applied over the
patched portion 30.
[0032] In general, the liquid form of the texture material 20a
comprises a base or carrier, a binder, a filler, and a change
material or pigment. If the dispensing system used is an aerosol
system, the liquid texture material 20a will further comprise a
propellant material. Optionally, the texture material 20 may
comprise an aggregate material.
[0033] The primary difference between the liquid and wet forms 20a
and 20b of the texture material 20 and the solidified form 20c
thereof is the moisture content. The moisture content of the
texture material 20 is determined by the carrier and optional
propellant. The carrier and propellant are liquids that allow the
texture material 20 to flow when in the liquid form 20a. The
carrier (or base) is typically water which will evaporate over a
time period determined by conditions such as heat, humidity, and
the like. If used, the propellant typically immediately gasifies as
the liquid form 20a of the material 20 is sprayed from the
dispensing system 22. Once the liquid ingredients have dissipated,
the binder adheres to the surface being coated and holds the
filler, pigment, and any other ingredients in the physical
structure corresponding to the desired texture pattern.
[0034] One characteristic of the texture material 20 is thus that
the appearance thereof changes with changing moisture content. The
change material or pigment can be any one of a number of materials
the appearance of which changes with moisture content. The
characteristics of the change material or pigment that change may
include sheen and color. As examples, the sheen of the change
material or pigment can change from flat to glossy, or vice versa,
or the color of the change pigment can change from dark blue to
light blue, or vice versa. In any case, this change should be
noticeable with the unaided eye.
[0035] Desirably, the characteristic of the change material pigment
that changes when the texture material 20 is in the solidified form
is noticeably distinguishable from the similar characteristic of
the pre-existing surface coating 28. For example, if the sheen of
the pre-existing surface coating 28 is flat, the texture material
20 could dry to a high gloss finish when in the solidified form. If
the color of the pre-existing surface coating 28 is white or
off-white, the texture material 20 could dry to a color such as
blue or red that can easily be distinguished from that of the
surface coating 28.
[0036] Suitable change materials or pigments include bromothymol
blue (which changes from blue to grey or white), phenolphthalein
(which changes from pink to colorless), and thymolphthalein (which
changes from blue to colorless or white).
[0037] Set forth below is a table containing several examples of
formulations of the texture material 20 of the present invention.
While the examples of formulations described below are preferred,
the present invention may be embodied using other formulations and
other change materials or pigments.
EXAMPLE
TABLE-US-00001 [0038] FIRST SECOND PREFERRED PREFERRED COMPONENT
PREFERRED RANGE RANGE water (carrier) 30% 25-35% 20-40% binder 5.3%
4.5-5.5% 3-7% filler 53.2% 40-60% 20-70% propellant 12.6% 10-15%
10-30% bromothymol blue 0.005% 0.003-0.007% 0.001-0.010% (color
change pigment)
[0039] In this example, the texture material 20 is adapted to be
dispensed from an aerosol dispensing system such as the exemplary
dispensing system 22 described above. The texture material 20 of
this example when in the liquid and wet forms 20a and 20b is a
light blue and fades to a grey or dark green as the moisture
content drops sufficiently such that the material 20 is in the
solidified form 20c. The user thus knows when the texture material
20 is sufficiently dry to apply a paint coat on top of the
solidified texture material 20c. In addition, the user can easily
recognize the area (or areas) that needs to be painted because the
grey or dark green of the solidified texture material 20c contrasts
with typical colors of the pre-existing surface coating 28.
[0040] One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the
present invention may be embodied in forms other than those
specifically described above. The scope of the present invention
should thus be determined by the following claims and not the
foregoing detailed description of the invention.
* * * * *