U.S. patent application number 12/409292 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-16 for system and product for tinting caulking.
Invention is credited to Dwain Robert ANDERSON, Cindy Mae Gronlund, David George Schellenberg.
Application Number | 20090179050 12/409292 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37912322 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090179050 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ANDERSON; Dwain Robert ; et
al. |
July 16, 2009 |
SYSTEM AND PRODUCT FOR TINTING CAULKING
Abstract
In a method for tinting caulking, a quantity of caulking is
sealed within and toward one end of an elongate, pliable casing.
The unfilled portion of the casing is then unsealed, and a quantity
of tinting agent, such as paint, is introduced into the casing,
which is then resealed. The caulking and tinting are then
intermixed by manual kneading of the casing until the caulking has
acquired a desired color. The sealed end of the filled portion of
the casing is then unsealed, the casing is inserted into a caulking
cartridge with the filled portion disposed toward the nozzle end of
the cartridge, and a slidable plug is inserted into the cartridge.
The cartridge may is then loaded in a conventional caulking gun,
which upon actuation urges the plug against the casing so as to
force the tinted caulking out of the unsealed casing and through
the cartridge nozzle.
Inventors: |
ANDERSON; Dwain Robert;
(Edson, CA) ; Schellenberg; David George; (Spruce
Grove, CA) ; Gronlund; Cindy Mae; (Niton Junction,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DONALD V. TOMKINS;C/O TOMKINS LAW OFFICE
740, 10150 - 100 STREET
EDMONTON
AB
T5J 0P6
CA
|
Family ID: |
37912322 |
Appl. No.: |
12/409292 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11272729 |
Nov 15, 2005 |
7527421 |
|
|
12409292 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/327 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01F 11/0065 20130101;
B01F 13/002 20130101; B01F 15/00506 20130101; B01F 2215/005
20130101; B01F 15/00512 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/327 |
International
Class: |
B65D 83/38 20060101
B65D083/38; B65D 81/32 20060101 B65D081/32 |
Claims
1. A caulking product comprising: (a) an elongate cylindrical
cartridge having a nozzle end, an open end, and an interior chamber
with a cylindrical wall; (b) a quantity of caulking sealingly
enclosed in an elongate, pliable casing, at least a portion of said
casing being transparent, wherein the caulking fills only part of
the casing and is disposed toward one end thereof, thus dividing
the casing into a filled portion and an unfilled portion, and said
casing being disposed within the interior chamber of the cartridge;
(c) a plug member closing off the open end of the cartridge so as
to retain the casing within the interior chamber of the
cartridge.
2. The caulking product of claim 1 wherein the caulking is a
latex-based caulking.
3. The caulking product of claim 1 wherein the casing is made of a
plastic film.
4. The caulking product of claim 1 wherein the plug member has a
circular perimeter edge, and said plug member is movable
longitudinally within the interior chamber of the cartridge with
said perimeter edge in sliding engagement with the cylindrical wall
of the cartridge.
5. The caulking product of claim 1 wherein the plug member includes
a gripping element to facilitate removal of the plug member from
the cartridge.
6. The caulking product of claim 5 wherein the gripping element
comprises a flexible loop.
7. The caulking product of claim 1, further comprising means for
introducing a tinting agent into the casing.
8. The caulking product of claim 7 wherein the means for
introducing a tinting agent into the casing is a syringe.
9. The caulking product of claim 1 wherein the filled portion of
the casing is disposed toward the nozzle end of the cartridge.
10. A caulking product comprising a quantity of caulking sealingly
enclosed in an elongate pliable casing, at least a portion of said
casing being transparent, wherein the caulking fills only part of
the casing and is disposed toward one end thereof, thus dividing
the casing into a filled portion and an unfilled portion.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of application Ser. No.
11/272,729, filed Nov. 15, 2005, and the disclosure of said
application Ser. No. 11/272,729 is incorporated herein by reference
in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates in general to methods and
systems for imparting a desired color to caulking compounds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Caulking compounds are commonly used in a variety of
applications in construction and renovation of residential and
commercial buildings, typically as a sealant to prevent leakage or
infiltration of air or moisture. In many instances the caulking
will be exposed, making it desirable for the caulking to be
color-matched to adjacent surfaces such as walls, ceilings, or trim
materials, so that the caulking visually blends in with the
adjacent materials. In additional to these common instances, there
may be other circumstances in which colored or tinted caulking may
be desirable.
[0004] Caulking is typically sold in cartridges which can be
inserted into caulking guns, thus making caulking application
convenient and relatively easy for contractors as well as
"do-it-yourself" homeowners. However, the caulking is typically
white in color (or clear). It is not economically feasible for a
caulking manufacturer to make cartridge-packed caulking available
in an extensive range of colors, and certainly not so as to be able
to match all the colors that can be obtained through creative
tinting of paint.
[0005] For these reasons, contractor and homeowners may be faced
with a problem when wishing to apply caulking that matches a
painted adjacent surface (for example, when caulking around a door
or window frame), because it is not possible to buy a cartridge of
color-matched caulking. One possible way to deal with this problem
might be to scoop the caulking out bf a cartridge, place it in a
pail or other container, add a tinting agent (typically paint), and
mix the tinting agent manually into the caulking using a stick or
other tool. After the caulking has been mixed to a sufficiently
uniform color, it would be packed back into the cartridge. Although
workable to some extent, this method would be both time-consuming
and messy, particularly because of the stickiness that is inherent
to caulking materials.
[0006] The prior art discloses a variety of methods and apparatus
directed to mixing and tinting caulking or other cartridge-packed
compositions, including the following: [0007] U.S. Pat. No.
1,998,692 (Van Rossem et al.), issued Apr. 23, 1935; [0008] U.S.
Pat. No. 3,195,778 (Coates), issued Jul. 20, 1965; [0009] U.S. Pat.
No. 4,090,612 (Lostutter), issued May 23, 1978; [0010] U.S. Pat.
No. 4,114,196 (Lostutter), issued Sep. 12, 1978; [0011] U.S. Patent
Appl. No. 09/452,881 (Anderson et al.), filed Dec. 2, 1999; [0012]
U.S. Patent Appl. No. 09/976,008 (Anderson et al.), filed Oct. 15,
2001; [0013] U.S. Patent Appl. No. 10/115,330 (Renfro), filed Apr.
2, 2002; and [0014] U.S. Patent Appl. No. 10/382,648 (Brandon),
filed Mar. 7, 2003.
[0015] A characteristic common to all of these prior art inventions
is that they involve the use of mechanical apparatus of some form.
In some cases, mixing is effected by manipulating of a mixing tool
that comes into direct physical contact with the materials being
mixed (e.g., caulking and tinting agent). In other cases, the
materials to be mixed are loaded into cartridges which are then
mounted on a machine that agitates the cartridges, thereby mixing
the materials contained therein.
[0016] These prior art inventions have a number of drawbacks and
disadvantages. The use of apparatus having a mixing fool entails
post-use clean-up, which once again is time-consuming and messy.
The prior art inventions that mix the material by agitation of
loaded caulking cartridges are intended for mixing multiple
cartridges, whereas contractors or homeowners will commonly require
only one cartridge (or less) of colored caulking. In addition, the
use of agitation-type mixing apparatus may require the introduction
of plasticizers and/or a heating step to lower the viscosity of the
caulking in order to facilitate satisfactory mixing. A further and
basic disadvantage common to all of these prior art inventions is
the fact that they involve some type of mechanical apparatus, with
associated cost and maintenance requirements.
[0017] For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and
system for tinting caulking by mixing the caulking with a tinting
agent, but without the need for mechanical mixing apparatus. There
is a further need for such method and system that facilitates
tinting of caulking in quantities small enough for use in a
conventional caulking cartridge. In addition, there is a need for
such method and system whereby caulking can be tinted without the
user coming into direct physical contact with the caulking or the
tinting agent. The present invention is directed to these
needs.
[0018] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] In general terms, the present invention is a method for
tinting caulking, and a caulking product system for use in
association with the method. In accordance with the invention, a
caulking charge (i.e., a desired quantity of caulking) is provided
within an elongate, pliable casing, at least a portion of which is
substantially transparent so that the color of the caulking inside
the casing can be viewed. Preferably, the casing is completely
transparent (such as by using a casing made from clear plastic
film).
[0020] The casing is sealed at both ends, so as to inhibit drying
or curing of the caulking. The casing is longer than needed to hold
the caulking charge, and the caulking charge is disposed toward one
end of the casing. This results in the casing being effectively
divided into a filled portion and a substantially empty unfilled
portion. The length of the unfilled portion is generally not
critical except that it must be sufficient so that: [0021] the end
of the unfilled portion can be unsealed (such as by simply cutting
off the end of the unfilled portion with a knife or scissors, or by
making a small slit or puncture in the unfilled portion, or by any
other suitable means); [0022] a tinting charge (i.e., a desired
quantity of tinting agent) can then be introduced into the casing
through the unsealed end of the unfilled portion; and [0023] the
end of the unfilled portion can then be resealed, so as to enclose
the caulking charge and the tinting charge.
[0024] In the preferred embodiment, the unfilled portion of the
casing is long enough to permit effective resealing by simply tying
a knot in the unfilled portion. However, other ways of resealing
the end of the unfilled portion may be used without departing from
the invention. The point of resealing (e.g., the knot location)
will preferably be fairly close to the caulking charge, but this is
not essential to the invention. In some situations it may be
desirable to leave some space between the point of resealing and
the caulking charge, and perhaps to include an air space, to
facilitate mixing of the caulking charge and tinting charge in
accordance with the method of the invention, as described
below.
[0025] Once the end of the unfilled portion of the casing has been
resealed, the caulking charge and tinting charge are intermixed by
manual manipulation of the casing, such as by kneading, rolling,
squeezing, or other suitable manual technique, or a combination of
such manual techniques. When the caulking and tinting agent have
been sufficiently intermixed, such that the caulking has acquired a
desired color, the caulking is ready for use. The sealed end of the
filled portion of the casing may then be unsealed (such as by
slitting with a knife), whereupon the casing is inserted into a
conventional cylindrical caulking cartridge with the filled portion
disposed toward the nozzle end of the cartridge. A slidable plug
member is then inserted into the cartridge, which is now ready for
loading into a conventional caulking gun.
[0026] Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention is a method
for tinting caulking, comprising the steps of: providing a quantity
of caulking sealingly enclosed in and partially filling an
elongate, pliable casing, at least a portion of said casing being
transparent; unsealing one end of the casing; introducing a
quantity of tinting agent into the casing, said tinting agent being
miscible with the caulking; resealing the unsealed end of the
casing; and kneading the caulking and tinting agent within the
casing until the caulking is of a substantially uniformly
color.
[0027] In another aspect, the invention is a method for preparing a
cartridge of tinted caulking, said method comprising the steps of:
providing an elongate cylindrical cartridge having a nozzle end, an
open end, and an interior chamber with a cylindrical wall;
providing a quantity of caulking sealingly enclosed in and
partially filling an elongate, pliable casing, at least a portion
of said casing being transparent; providing a plug member having a
circular perimeter edge, said plug member being movable
longitudinally within the interior chamber of the cartridge with
said perimeter edge in sliding engagement with the cylindrical wall
of the cartridge; unsealing one end of the casing; introducing a
quantity of tinting agent into the casing, said tinting agent being
miscible with the caulking; resealing the unsealed end of the
casing; kneading the caulking and tinting agent within the casing
until the caulking is of a substantially uniformly color; unsealing
one end of the casing, and inserting the casing, unsealed end
first, into the open end of the cartridge; and inserting the plug
member into the open end of the cartridge.
[0028] In preferred embodiments of the method, the caulking is a
latex-based caulking and the tinting agent is a latex-based paint.
However, other types and combinations of caulking and tinting agent
may be used without departing from the present invention provided
that the tinting agent is miscible with the caulking. For example,
the method could be used to tint an oil-based caulking using ah
oil-based (i.e., alkyd) paint as the tinting agent.
[0029] For purposes of this patent document, the term "miscible",
with reference to a tinting agent for tinting caulking in
accordance with the method of the invention, denotes that the
tinting agent may be substantially uniformly combined with the
caulking without separation. The tinting agent will preferably be
in liquid form, such as a paint, but tinting agents in powdered or
other forms may be used without departing from the invention,
provided that they have suitable miscibility for the type of
caulking being used.
[0030] In a further aspect, the invention is a caulking product
comprising: an elongate cylindrical cartridge having a nozzle end,
an open end, and an interior chamber with a cylindrical wall; a
quantity of caulking sealingly enclosed in an elongate, pliable
casing, at least a portion of said casing being transparent,
wherein the caulking fills only part of the casing and is disposed
toward one end thereof, thus dividing the casing into a filled
portion and an unfilled portion, and said casing being disposed
within the interior chamber of the cartridge; a plug member closing
off the open end of the cartridge so as to retain the casing within
the interior chamber of the cartridge. In the preferred embodiment,
the plug member includes a gripping element to facilitate removal
of the plug member from the cartridge. Also in the preferred
embodiment, the caulking product of this aspect of the invention
includes means for introducing a tinting agent into the casing (for
example, a syringe).
[0031] In a yet further aspect, the invention is a caulking product
comprising: a quantity of caulking sealingly enclosed in an
elongate pliable casing, at least a portion of said casing being
transparent, wherein the caulking fills only part of the casing and
is disposed toward one end thereof, thus dividing the casing into a
filled portion and an unfilled portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] Embodiments of the invention will now be described with
reference to the accompanying figures, in which numerical
references denote like parts, and in which:
[0033] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the components of a caulking
product in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0034] FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the caulking product of FIG.
1.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates the step of introducing a tinting agent
into an unsealed caulking casing in accordance with one embodiment
of the method of the invention.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates the caulking casing after being resealed
subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 3.
[0037] FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates the step of manually mixing
the caulking and tinting agent after the casing has been resealed
as shown in FIG. 4.
[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates the caulking casing after re-insertion
into the cartridge after the manual mixing step illustrated in FIG.
5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates the components of a caulking product
(generally designated by reference numeral 10) in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the invention. An elongate pliable casing
20 is partially filled with caulking 30, with said caulking 30
being disposed toward one end of the casing 20, which is thus
effectively divided into a filled portion 22 (having a free end
22F) and an unfilled portion 24 (having a free end 24F). Caulking
30 is preferably densely packed into filled portion 22 so as to
form a sausage-like shape; however, this is not essential to the
invention. It is known to form sealed caulking "sausages" (see, for
example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,839, issued to Eierle et al. on Apr.
12, 1994), but the provision of an unfilled portion 24 particularly
distinguishes the partially-filled casing 20 of the present
invention from such prior art. For reasons that will be explained,
it may be desirable for unfilled portion 24 to be at least a few
inches long, but this is not essential. What is important is that
the unfilled portion 24 is large enough to allow for introduction
of a desired quantity of tinting agent into the casing 20 (after it
has been unsealed, as described below), while allowing, for casing
20 to then be resealed.
[0040] Free ends 22F and 24F are sealed in substantially
vapour-tight fashion to prevent drying or curing of caulking 30
inside casing 20. The sealing of free ends 22F and 24F may be
accomplished by any of a variety of suitable known means, as will
be readily evident to persons skilled in the field of the
invention. For example, free ends 22F and 24F may be heat-sealed or
crimp-sealed as conceptually denoted by reference numeral 26 in
FIG. 1. In preferred embodiments, casing 20 is made from a clear
plastic film (e.g., polyethylene), which is readily available in
continuous rolls in "bag" form (i.e., such that a sealed pocket can
be formed by transversely sealing the material at two
longitudinally-spaced locations.
[0041] The caulking product 10 of FIG. 1 also includes a
conventional cylindrical caulking cartridge 40 having a nozzle end
42, a nozzle 44 (preferably with nozzle cap 44A), an open end 46,
and an interior chamber 48 with a cylindrical wall 48A. Cartridge
40 is proportioned and adapted such that caulking-filled casing 20
may be readily received within interior chamber 48. In the
preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional diameter, of interior
chamber 48 will be only slightly larger than the diameter of the
filled portion 22 of casing 20 when filled portion 22 is densely
packed into a sausage-like configuration as previously
described.
[0042] Included as well in this embodiment of caulking product 10
is a plug member 50 having a circular perimeter edge 52. Plug
member 50 is proportioned so as to be movable longitudinally within
the interior chamber 48 of cartridge 40, with its perimeter edge 52
in sliding engagement with cylindrical wall 48A.
[0043] Caulking product 10 may be provided in the form of a kit of
components, as shown in FIG. 2. However, in the preferred
embodiment it is provided in assembled form as illustrated in FIG.
2, with casing 20 completely disposed within interior chamber 48 of
cartridge 40, and with plug member 50 inserted into open end 46 of
cartridge 40 so as to retain casing 20 within interior chamber 48.
When casing 20 is thus disposed within interior chamber 48,
unfilled portion 24 will be folded or otherwise bunched up against
filled portion 22. In the preferred embodiment, casing 20 is
disposed within interior chamber 48 with free end 22F of filled
portion 22 disposed toward nozzle end 42, such that unfilled
portion 24 will be adjacent to plug member 50.
[0044] Once assembled as described, caulking product 10 may be
conveniently packaged for transport to retail or wholesale
merchants for display and sale as desired, or for direct transport
to a site where it is desired to use caulking product 10 to prepare
colored caulking. In order to use caulking product 10 for this
purpose, and in accordance with the method of the present
invention, the user first removes plug member 50 from open end 46
of cartridge 40. To facilitate this step, plug member 50 preferably
has a gripping element 54. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2,
gripping element 54 may be in the form of a loop formed integrally
with or attached to gripping element 54. In any cases after plug
member 50 has been removed from cartridge 40, casing 20 is then
withdrawn or otherwise removed from cartridge 40. This step is
preferably facilitated by assembling the product with unfilled
portion 24 of casing 20 adjacent to plug, member 50 as previously
described; the user may simply grasp and pull on the folded or
bunched-up unfilled portion 24 in order to withdraw casing 20 from
cartridge 40.
[0045] The next step in the method is to unseal casing 20 and then
to introduce a desired amount of tinting agent 60 thereinto. In the
preferred embodiment of the method, as illustrated in FIG. 3,
unfilled portion 24 of casing 20 is unsealed (preferably at or
close to free end 24F) by any convenient means, such as by slitting
it with a knife, cutting it with scissors, of forming a puncture
with a suitable tool. A desired quantity or charge of a selected
tinting agent 60 is then introduced into casing 20. In the
particularly preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, tinting agent 60
is introduced using an inexpensive conventional syringe 70, the use
of which helps to eliminate or reduce the chance of spillage of
tinting agent. Where the desired tinting agent 60 is a paint (as
will perhaps most often be the case) or other liquid, syringe 70
can be used to draw the liquid from its container and discharge it
into casing 20, after which syringe 70 may simply be discarded.
Syringe 70 thus facilitates the introduction of tinting agent 60
into casing 20 without the user having to come into contact with
the liquid. However, any other convenient means for introducing
tinting agent 60 into casing 20 may be used without departing from
the present invention.
[0046] After tinting agent 60 has been introduced into casing 20,
the next step is to seal the unsealed free end 24F of casing 20. As
shown in FIG. 4, this may be conveniently accomplished by tying a
knot 29 in unfilled portion 24 of casing 20. To facilitate this and
Other possible methods of resealing casing 20, unfilled portion 24
will preferably be approximately 4-6 inches (or 100-150
millimeters) in length; any undesired excess may be cut off after
the knot 29 or other type of seal has been formed in unfilled
portion 24. However, it is not essential for unfilled portion 24 to
be of any particular size or length. What is important is for
unfilled portion 24 is large enough to allow for introduction of a
desired quantity of tinting agent into casing 20 (after it has been
unsealed, as described below), and to allow casing 20 to then be
resealed.
[0047] With casing 20 resealed as described, with caulking 30 and
tinting agent 60 enclosed therein, the user manually kneads casing
20, as conceptually illustrated in FIG. 5, to combine tinting agent
60 with caulking 30 until they have become substantially uniformly
mixed, with caulking 30 having acquired a substantially uniform
color. As used in this patent document, the term "knead" and its
related forms are intended to denote and include kneading, rolling,
squeezing, or other similar manipulative techniques (which may or
may not involve the use of tools or accessories), or combinations
of such methods.
[0048] The inventors have achieved satisfactory results after
performing the kneading operation for as little as three minutes,
using white acrylic caulking and a conventional acrylic paint as
the tinting agent. These results have been achieved with the
materials at room temperature, without need for pre-warming the
caulking as may be desirable or necessary with some prior art
methods and apparatus. The inventors have also found that as little
as one ounce of latex paint will usually be sufficient to give the
caulking a color closely matching that of the paint (based on
tinting caulking in an amount corresponding to a typical caulking
cartridge sold in hardware stores and home improvement centers).
However, other mixing times and other sizes of tinting charge may
be effective or appropriate depending on the specific properties of
the caulking to be tinted and the tinting agent to be used.
[0049] After the caulking has been mixed and tinted as described
above, it is a simple matter to reinsert casing 20 (now containing
tinted caulking 30A) into interior chamber 48 of cartridge 40, and
to reinsert plug member 50 into open end 46 of cartridge 40 so as
to retain casing 20 within interior chamber 48, all as illustrated
in FIG. 6. The step of reinserting cartridge 40 will preferably be
performed such that filled portion 22 of casing 20 is directed
toward nozzle end 44 of cartridge 40.
[0050] If it is desired to apply tinted caulking 30A immediately,
free end 22F of filled portion 22 may be unsealed (such as by being
slit with a utility knife) before casing 20 is reinserted into
cartridge 40. After casing 20 has thus been reinserted into
cartridge 40 (with free end 22F of filled portion 22 unsealed, and
with plug member 50 having, been reinserted), cartridge 40 may be
loaded into a suitable conventional caulking gun for use in
accordance with known application methods. Actuation of the
caulking gun causes plug member 50 to be urged against casing 20 so
as to force tinted caulking 30A out of unsealed casing 20 and
through cartridge nozzle 46.
[0051] If it is desired to delay the application of tinted caulking
30A, casing 20 may be reinserted into cartridge 40 in a sealed
state, whereupon plug member 50 may be reinserted as well. This
method is particularly convenient where it is desired to prepare
tinted caulking at a location away from the site where it is to be
applied. When it is subsequently desired to apply the tinted
caulking 30A, it is a simple matter to remove plug member 50 and
casing 20 from cartridge 40, unseal free end 22F of filled portion
22, reinsert casing 20 into cartridge 40 (with free end 22F
disposed toward nozzle end 44 of cartridge 40), and reinsert plug
member 50. Cartridge 40, with tinted caulking 30A contained
therein, is now ready for loading in a caulking gun for application
as desired.
[0052] It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art
that various modifications of the present invention may be devised
without departing from the essential concept of the invention, and
all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of
the claims appended hereto.
[0053] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in
its non-limiting sense to mean that items following that word are
included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A
reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is
present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and
only one such element.
* * * * *