U.S. patent application number 16/251722 was filed with the patent office on 2020-07-23 for trowel.
The applicant listed for this patent is David Lilley. Invention is credited to David Lilley.
Application Number | 20200232233 16/251722 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 71408477 |
Filed Date | 2020-07-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200232233 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lilley; David |
July 23, 2020 |
TROWEL
Abstract
The present invention is a trowel having a blade with a rounded
side edge, a straight side edge, and a notched edge between the
rounded side edge and the straight side edge. The trowel may
include a handle disposed opposite the notched edge and
substantially parallel to the straight side edge, aligned with the
plane of the blade. The blade may be made of a thin or flexible
material, allowing the blade to be slightly deformed during use to
create a consistent layer of adhesive. The rounded edge may be of a
relatively smaller radius, allowing for a wider, shorter blade. In
other embodiments, the rounded edge may be of a relatively bigger
radius, allowing for a narrower, taller blade. The notched edge may
be square notches, v-notches, u-notches, or other notch shapes
according to user preference.
Inventors: |
Lilley; David; (Everett,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lilley; David |
Everett |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
71408477 |
Appl. No.: |
16/251722 |
Filed: |
January 18, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 21/16 20130101;
E04F 21/163 20130101; E04F 21/161 20130101; E04F 21/162
20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04F 21/16 20060101
E04F021/16 |
Claims
1. A trowel comprising: a blade having a rounded side edge, a
straight side edge, and a square notched bottom edge, wherein the
square notched bottom edge is between the rounded side edge and the
straight side edge; and a handle disposed at a top of the blade
opposite to the square notched bottom edge of the blade and
substantially parallel to the straight side edge, wherein the
handle and the blade are comprised of a single piece of material,
wherein a coupling between the handle and the blade is disposed
entirely between the rounded side edge and the straight side edge,
and wherein a first edge and a second edge of the handle are closer
to a longitudinal axis of the trowel than the rounded side edge and
the straight side edge.
2. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the blade is substantially
rigid.
3. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the blade is flexible.
4.-10. (canceled)
11. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the
trowel extends from a center point on the square notched bottom
edge of the blade to an end of the handle opposite the coupling
between the handle and the blade.
12. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the trowel is comprised of a
flexible material.
13. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the handle and the blade are
comprised of a single piece of plastic.
14. The trowel of claim 1, wherein the square notched bottom edge
includes exactly nine square notches.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to construction tools, and
more specifically to tools for spreading and scraping
adhesives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Standard trowels used for spreading adhesives, such as
mastics and mortars, generally have a rectangular shape, a handle
on a back side, where the front side is used for spreading the
adhesive. Typically, they are made of a fairly rigid metal, and
have a straight edge side opposite a notched side. These trowels
are usually left- or right-handed, requiring a job site to keep the
proper type of trowel on site for both left- and right-handed
users, and require a user to handle the trowel at an uncomfortable
angle in order to scrape the adhesive from a bucket. Finally,
standard adhesive trowels tend to be difficult to clean due to the
location of the handle and the resulting inability to simply scrape
the adhesive from both surfaces of the trowel, often requiring a
second tool. These are some of the issues which the present
invention aims to improve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates generally to construction tools, and
more specifically to tools for spreading and scraping
adhesives.
[0004] The invention consists essentially of a handle and a blade.
In some embodiments, the blade may include a rounded or curved side
edge, a straight side edge, and a notched bottom edge between the
curved side edge and the straight side edge. In preferred
embodiments, the handle may be disposed substantially parallel to
the side edges and opposite the notched edge. The blade may be
comprised of a rigid material, and in preferred embodiments it may
be comprised of a slightly flexible material.
[0005] The curve of the rounded side edge may have radii of varying
degrees, as suited to a particular use or user, and smaller radius
blades may result in slightly wider or shorter blades than bigger
radius blades. However, size of blade may be independent of the
radius of the curved side, as suited to a particular need. The
notched edge may be a square notch, a v-notch, a u-notch, or
virtually any style of notch suited to a particular use or
user.
[0006] In addition to the foregoing, various other methods, systems
and/or program product embodiments are set forth and described in
the teachings such as the text (e.g., claims, drawings and/or the
detailed description) and/or drawings of the present
disclosure.
[0007] The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,
simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail;
consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way
limiting. Other aspects, embodiments, features and advantages of
the device and/or processes and/or other subject matter described
herein will become apparent in the teachings set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Certain embodiments of the present invention are described
in detail below with reference to the following drawings:
[0009] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of the
trowel;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a front view thereof;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment of the trowel;
and
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front view of another embodiment of the
trowel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] This invention relates generally to construction tools, and
more specifically to tools for spreading and scraping
adhesives.
[0014] Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are
set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1-4 to provide
a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention
may have additional embodiments, may be practiced without one or
more of the details described for any particular described
embodiment, or may have any detail described for one particular
embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another
embodiment.
[0015] Importantly, a grouping of inventive aspects in any
particular "embodiment" within this detailed description, and/or a
grouping of limitations in the claims presented herein, is not
intended to be a limiting disclosure of those particular aspects
and/or limitations to that particular embodiment and/or claim. The
inventive entity presenting this disclosure fully intends that any
disclosed aspect of any embodiment in the detailed description
and/or any claim limitation ever presented relative to the instant
disclosure and/or any continuing application claiming priority from
the instant application (e.g. continuation, continuation-in-part,
and/or divisional applications) may be practiced with any other
disclosed aspect of any embodiment in the detailed description
and/or any claim limitation. Claimed combinations which draw from
different embodiments and/or originally-presented claims are fully
within the possession of the inventive entity at the time the
instant disclosure is being filed. Any future claim comprising any
combination of limitations, each such limitation being herein
disclosed and therefore having support in the original claims or in
the specification as originally filed (or that of any continuing
application claiming priority from the instant application), is
possessed by the inventive entity at present irrespective of
whether such combination is described in the instant specification
because all such combinations are viewed by the inventive entity as
currently operable without undue experimentation given the
disclosure herein and therefore that any such future claim would
not represent new matter.
[0016] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the trowel having a handle 1
coupled with the top of blade 5. The handle 1 may have a full or
partial tang or shank, and preferred embodiments will have a full
tang in order to provide the best control of the trowel. The handle
1 may be substantially parallel to straight side edge 2. This
offers a particular advantage over many existing trowels, because
it allows both left-handed and right-handed users to use the trowel
for loading the trowel and spreading the adhesive, and because it
allows for easy cleaning of the trowel by allowing a user to scrape
both sides of the blade 5 against, for example, the rim of a
bucket, rather than having to use another tool. In combination with
the handle 1, straight side edge 2 also allows a user to properly
hold the trowel in the bucket to scrape adhesive off the side of
the bucket, rather than requiring a user to hold the trowel
backward to load it as with a standard trowel.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a front view of the trowel. Opposite straight side
edge 2 is rounded side edge 3. Rounded side edge 3 offers a number
of advantages over many existing trowels by allowing the blade 5 to
be more compact, which allows users to use smaller buckets of
adhesive that can be kept close to the worksite. Additionally, the
rounded side edge 3 allows the user to alter the angle of the blade
with respect to the work space, letting the groves reach areas that
may be inaccessible to the standard rectangular trowel. This is
especially so in light of the handle 1 disposed at the top of the
blade, rather than on the back of the blade.
[0018] Opposite the handle 1 and between straight side edge 2 and
rounded side edge 3 is the notched bottom edge 4. Notched bottom
edge 4 being opposite handle 1 offers all of the versatility
previously disclosed herein, as well as allowing a user to put the
notches into quite tight spaces. It also allows the user to change
the angle between the plane of the blade 5 and the surface being
worked upon in a much more natural motion than with a standard
trowel with a back-side handle. While some uses may require a more
rigid blade 5, in preferred embodiments the blade may be made of a
slightly flexible material, allowing a user to make a more
consistent spread as the blade yields slightly to pressure applied
by the user. Typically, blade 5 will be thinner than standard
trowels; for example, blade 5 may be made of 22 gauge stainless
steel. In some embodiments, blade 5 may be thicker or thinner,
depending at least partly on the level of flexibility desired.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a depiction of a longer, narrower blade 5 having a
larger radius on rounded side edge 3. Blades may be made longer or
narrower to suit particular needs. As described elsewhere herein, a
primary advantage of this invention is allowing a user to place the
trowel in a variety of places, using the flexibility of the blade 5
and the rounded side 3 to change the angle and pressure of the
blade for consistent results, even in hard to reach places. FIG. 4
is a depiction of a blade 5 having a notched edge 4 with v-notches,
rather than square notches. It should be understood that while only
the two most common notch types are depicted, square and v-notch,
any notch shape desired by a user could be implemented with this
design, including u-notches. Similarly, the particular size and
spacing of notches will typically be set according to industry
standards, but may be adjusted for particular uses.
[0020] While particular aspects of the present subject matter
described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein,
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and,
therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope
all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit
and scope of this subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it
is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended
claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in
general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims
(e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as
"open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as
"including but not limited to," the term "having" should be
interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be
interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be
further understood by those within the art that if a specific
number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an
intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence
of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an
aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain
usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more"
to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases
should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim
recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any
particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same
claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least
one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or
"an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one
or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles
used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly
recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations,"
without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations,
or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where
a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is
used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one
having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a
system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be
limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B
together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.).
[0021] While preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention
have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes
can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited
by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments.
Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference
to the claims that follow.
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