AU2016102471A4

AU2016102471A4 - Installing cornice

Info

Publication number: AU2016102471A4
Application number: AU2016102471A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Darren Andrew Stott; Phill Sutton
Original assignee: D&S Stott Pty Ltd
Current assignee: D&S Stott Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2015-07-20
Filing date: 2016-07-19
Publication date: 2021-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-19
Also published as: AU2016206270A1

Abstract

P1280AUAU ABSTRACT A tool 1 for installing cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling. The tool includes at least two tool-locating portions 3, 5; at least one cornice-locating portion 7; and at least one grippable portion 11 by which the tool may be manipulated by hand. The 5 tool-locating portions are arranged to contact at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner. The cornice-locating portion(s) are arranged to contact the cornice to aid orientation of the cornice. 1/2 -H-~ L 7 7a 1 51 7c5 FIGURE 1 g PRIOR ART 7b 7'c 3a-.A 13 11 3-.-A 3b.. 107 FIGURE 13107b 107c 100 FGR 103 001- 107a 5 1011 15 7a 1105 7 13,113,1013 11 7c 37b 3 1003 1005 1007a 1007b 1007c 1000 1007c,1007 FIGURE 3

Description

1/2

-H-~

L

7 7a 1 51 7c5 FIGURE 1 g PRIOR ART 7b 7'c

3a-.A 13 11 3-.-A

3b.. 107 FIGURE 13107b 107c 100 FGR 103 001- 107a 5 1011 15 7a 1105 7 13,113,1013 11 7c

37b 3 1003

1005 1007a 1007b 1007c 1000 1007c,1007 FIGURE 3

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INSTALLING CORNICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to installing cornice.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Cornice is elongate material installed to conceal the corner of a wall and a ceiling. Typically the wall and the ceiling are both formed of plaster and they are internal to a room.

Figure 1 shows a form of cornice, common in Australia, having a simple arcuate profile. The profile is substantially constant along the length (L) of the cornice. The cornice is shaped to have a horizontal (H) and vertical (V) extent from the long axis of the corner. The long axis of the corner is the line towards which the face of the wall and the face of the ceiling converge.

Most commonly the H and V dimensions are equal and one of 55, 75 and 90 mm. There are many different cornice configurations available. Many do not have equal H and V dimensions and/or a constant profile along their length.

When installing cornice it is customary to measure the H and V dimensions out from the long axis and apply small marks to the wall and ceiling and then, with the aid of a chalked string line stretched between appropriate ones of the marks, apply a respective line to each of the wall and the ceiling, the lines corresponding to the lower edge of the cornice and the horizontally outermost edge of the cornice.

The length of the wall is then measured and a length of cornice cut to size with ends suitably mitred to align neatly with the cornice on an adjoining wall. The cut piece is then "buttered" with beads of adhesive running along the wall and ceiling contacting portions

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of the cornice adjacent the mentioned edges of the cornice. The adhesive is often referred to cornice cement or "gauge".

The buttered cornice is then moved into position and aligned relative to the markings on the wall and ceiling. Typically the adhesive is not sufficiently tacky to hold the cornice in place until it has set. Accordingly it is customary to temporarily place a few nails into the wall and ceiling along the long edges of the cornice to hold it in place until the adhesive has set.

Whilst the preceding process seems simple the present inventor has observed that aside from experienced professionals, the end result is often disappointing due to misalignment being clearly visible at the mitred joints.

With the foregoing discussion in mind, the present invention aims to provide improvements in and for the installation of cornice or at least to provide an alternative for those concerned with installing cornice.

It is not admitted that any of the information in this patent specification is common general knowledge, or that the person skilled in the art could be reasonably expected to ascertain or understand it, regard it as relevant or combine it in any way before the priority date.

SUMMARY

The present invention has recognised that misalignment about the long axis of the cornice significantly contributes to cornice installations being less than perfect.

It is difficult to correctly mark the chalk lines. In some cases the wall and/or plaster sheets may stop some distance short of the long axis of the corner making it difficult to correctly place the markings, e.g. because one must measure from the projected intersection of the wall and ceiling faces if that intersection does not in fact occur.

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There is often some error between the placement of the string line and the markings and when the string line is flicked to cause it to deposit its chalk it may not be perfectly straight, e.g. when attempting to mark a wall the string may have sagged over a long horizontal run. Moreover the line resultant from such string marking typically has a degree of thickness and it is otherwise difficult to align the edges of the cornice with the lines. Other complications such as the wall being slightly curved and/or not exactly perpendicular to the ceiling contribute to the errors.

Accordingly, one aspect of the invention provides a tool, for installing cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling, including

at least two tool-locating portions;

at least one cornice-locating portion; and

at least one grippable portion by which the tool may be manipulated by hand;

the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner;

the cornice-locating portion(s) being arranged to contact the cornice to aid orientation of the cornice.

The tool-locating portions preferably include a portion arranged to contact the wall and a portion arranged to contact the ceiling. Optionally the tool-locating portions may include two portions arranged to contact the wall at mutually different spacings from the long axis. Again optionally, the tool-locating portions may include two portions arranged to contact the ceiling at mutually different spacings from the long axis.

The cornice-locating portion(s) may include two portions spaced from each other in a plane perpendicular to the long axis, in which case the two portions preferably include

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a portion arranged to be adjacent the wall and to contact a lower edge of the cornice; and

a portion arranged to be adjacent to the ceiling and to contact an edge, of the cornice, horizontally outward from the long axis.

The tool is preferably shaped for a user's hand to encircle the grippable portion, and may include an opening, through which the user's fingers may pass, to enable the encirclement.

Preferably the tool-locating portions are arranged to contact, the at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner, without marking the wall or the ceiling.

The tool may be integrally formed.

Another aspect of the invention provides a multi-purpose tool including a member defining two or more of the foregoing tools, each of the foregoing tools being configured to complement a respective cornice.

The foregoing tool may include

a wall-contacting member;

a ceiling-contacting member;

a connecting member;

a connection; and

another connection;

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the connecting member connecting the wall-contacting member to the ceiling-contacting member;

the wall-contacting member defining one of the tool-locating portions;

the one of the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact the wall;

the ceiling-contacting member defining another of the tool-locating portions;

the other of the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact the ceiling;

the connection connecting the wall-contacting member to the connecting member and being capable of

allowing the wall-contacting member to move, in a direction perpendicular to the long axis, relative to the connecting member to a selected relative disposition, and

holding the selected relative disposition of the ceiling-contacting member during installation of the cornice; and

the other connection connecting the ceiling-contacting member to the connecting member and being capable of

allowing the ceiling-contacting member to move, in a direction perpendicular to the long axis, relative to the connecting member to a selected relative disposition, and

holding the selected relative disposition of the ceiling-contacting member during installation of the cornice.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method, of installing a length of cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling, including

orienting the length relative to the corner; and

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allowing adhesive between the length and at least one of the wall and the ceiling to set;

the orienting including

contacting, the tool-locating portions of the foregoing tool, with at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis; and

contacting the cornice-locating portion(s) of the tool with the cornice.

orienting the length relative to the corner; and

the orienting including

contacting tool-locating portions of a tool with at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner; and

contacting at least one cornice-locating portion(s) of the tool with the cornice.

The method preferably includes selecting a portion, of a tool having two more portions configured to complement respective cornices, configured to complement the cornice.

Alternatively the method may include adjusting the tool to suit the cornice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the apparatus will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a length of cornice;

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• Figure 2 is a side view of a tool;

• Figure 3 is a side view of another tool;

• Figure 4 is a side view of a connecting member;

• Figure 5 is a side view of a wall-engaging member; and

• Figure 6 is a side view of another tool.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following examples are intended to illustrate the scope of the invention and to enable reproduction and comparison. They are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.

The tool 1 is formed from a single integral body of material. For the avoidance of doubt, "integral" is used to refer to formation from a single continuous phase of material such as to bodies formed by casting, moulding or machining from a billet. As the word and similar words are used herein, two bodies may be integrated by welding although other processes such as fastening and adhering which results in mutually fastened separate bodies do not result in an integral body.

The tool 1 has a predominantly planar sheet-like form in the vicinity of 5 mm thick. Indeed rudimentary forms of the invention may be formed from sheet material. The tool 1 is formed by injection moulding a suitable plastic.

The tool 1 includes a wall engaging edge 3 and a ceiling engaging edge 5. The edges 3, 5 are straight, mutually perpendicular edges such that moving the edges to abut the wall and ceiling locates the tool 1 relative to the long axis of the corner between the wall and the ceiling.

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The tool 1 includes a shaped edge 7 connecting the edges 3, 5 and shaped to, with the wall and the ceiling, define a space 9 for the cornice.

The edge 7 includes an upright portion 7a for contacting the portion of the cornice outermost from the wall, an at least approximately horizontal portion 7b for contacting the lowermost portion of the cornice and a convex portion 7c connecting the portions 7a, 7b and being shaped to complement the profile of the cornice.

The tool 1 is hand tool. To enable hand manipulation the tool 1 incorporates a grippable portion in the form of handle 11 and an opening 13 through which the fingers of a user's hand may pass to allow the hand to encircle the handle 11. Preferably the handle has a transverse cross-section (the cross-section suggested by the line A-A in Figure 2) about 30 mm long by about 23 mm thick with fully rounded ends.

To install a length of cornice using the tool 1 there is no need to mark lines on the wall. Rather a user may proceed directly to installing a length of cornice that has been suitably cut to length and buttered. Holding the buttered length of cornice in one hand and gripping the handle 11 of the tool 1 in the other hand, the tool may be moved relatively towards the cornice so that the cornice and the edge 7 mate. Then the mated cornice and tool 1 can be moved towards the corner of the wall and ceiling. Once the wall contacting edge 3 contacts and sits flat against the wall and the ceiling contacting edge 5 contacts and sits flat against the ceiling the cornice is correctly positioned. The tool may then be removed and applied to the cornice at one or more further points along its length to appropriately orient the cornice and squeeze the adhesive as required.

Thereafter, nails, or other temporary fixtures, may be applied to hold the cornice in position. Advantageously the tool may be quickly and easily reapplied to the cornice to check and/or adjust the orientation of the cornice after the temporary fixings have been put in place. If this reapplication shows that the cornice has moved further temporary fixings may be added, e.g. another nail set a millimeter or two higher might be added if it is found that the cornice has dropped at a particular point.

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Once the adhesive has been allowed to set the temporary fixtures can be removed. Typical plaster cement sets after a given period of time. Typically plaster cements are rated for about 45 minutes although in practice they become difficult to work after about 25 minutes. Other forms of adhesive require some positive action to cause them to set, e.g. the mixing of a two part mixture. For the avoidance of doubt, "allowing to set" and similar words as used herein take in both possibilities.

Whilst Figure 2 illustrates a preferred form of the tool 1 numerous other variations are possible. By way of example, the ceiling contacting edge 5 may be replaced by edge 5' such that the edge portion 7a is eliminated whereby the device 1 does not contact the ceiling in use. In this variant the portions 3a, 3b of the edge 3 are spaced to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner and thus constitute tool-locating portions.

The dotted line 7c' suggests another variant in which the convex edge portion 7c is eliminated such that the tool 1 contacts the cornice only at the contacting portions 7a, 7b. Indeed in yet another variant of the device the upright portion of the edge 7c' and its extension 7a may be moved to be further from the wall (to the right as drawn in Figure 2) so that the portion 7b is the only cornice contacting portion. Of course whilst this is not the preferred form of the device the device would remain a useful aid.

The tool 1 is configured to complement 55 mm cornice of the type illustrated in Figure 1, that is cornice of the type illustrated wherein the V and H dimensions are both 55 mm. Figure 3 illustrates another variant of the invention incorporating a trio of tools 1, 100, 1000 respectively configured to complement 55 mm, 90 mm and 75 mm cornice of the same type. In Figure 3 features analogous to the numbered features in Figure 2 have been assigned the same number.

The multi-purpose tool 15 incorporates the tool 1 including the edges and edge portions 3, 5, 7 (including 7a, 7b and 7c), the handle 11 and the opening 13. The tool 100 includes edges and edge portions 103, 105, 107 (including 107a, 107b and 107c), a handle 111 and an opening 113. The tool 1011 incorporates edges and edge portions

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1103, 1105, 1007 (including 1007a, 1007b, and 1007c), a handle 1011 and an opening 1013. It will be observed that the tools 1, 100 share an edge - the edge 5 and the edge 103 are one and the same. Likewise the edges 3, 1005 are one and the same and the openings 13, 113, 1013 are the same opening.

Each of the edges 7, 107, 1007 is a portion of the tool 15. To use the tool 15 a user selects which of those portions complements the cornice to be installed and then uses the tool 15 in line with the use of the tool of Figure 2.

Figures 2 and 3 disclose tools adapted to suit a limit range of cornices. In view of the huge variety of existing cornices, a huge number of tools 1 and/or 15 would be required if a tool of this type was made to suit each of the available cornices. Accordingly it is proposed that the tools 1, 15 be produced to suit common cornice sizes and that an adjustable tool 17 (Figure 6) be produced to suit most other cornices. Of course the adjustable tool 17 could also be used with the common cornices if preferred.

The tool 17 includes a connecting member 19 connecting a pair of members 21a, 21b. The members 21a, 21b are substantially identical. The member 21a is a ceiling contacting member and is oriented to present an elongate ceiling contacting plate 10,005. Likewise the member 21a is a wall contacting member and is in use oriented to present an elongate wall contacting plate 10,003.

The members 21a, 21b respectively define cornice contacting portions 10,007b, 10,007a. A sliding connection 23a connects the connecting member 19 to the wall contacting member 21a. The sliding connection 23a incorporates a slot 25 running along the member 21a and a pair of holes 27 formed in an end of the connecting member 19. The holes 27 sit in register with the slot 25. The members 19, 21a are mutually fastened by suitable fasteners passing through these register openings. E.g. this suitable fastening may take the form of a pair of bolt and wing nut assemblies whereby the nuts may be released to allow the member 21a to slide in a direction parallel to the face of the wall to a selected disposition corresponding to the desired dimension V. The wing

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nuts may then be tightened to hold the selected relative disposition. The connection 23a is thus reconfigurable from an adjustment configuration (i.e. when the wing nut is loose) to an in use configuration (i.e. when the nut is tightened) in which the relative disposition of the members 19, 21a is held. Other reconfigurable connections are also possible.

The holes 27 (and in turn the fasteners passing therethrough) are suitably oriented to maintain the relative angle between the members 19, 21a. The angle is preferably an included angle 45 degrees although other angles are possible.

A connection 23b similar to the connection 23a connects the member 19 to the member 21b. That connection is configured so that the portions 10,003, 10,005 remain mutually perpendicular. To use the tool 17 a user adjusts the connections 23a, 23b to suit the V and H dimensions of the cornice to be installed and then installs the cornice in line with the discussion in respect of Figure 2. In use the connecting member 19 provides a convenient gripping point. It is contemplated that the member 19 may include or carry a handle portion shaped for comfortable gripping.

Claims

P1280AUAU 12 CLAIMS

1. A tool, for installing cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling, including

at least two tool-locating portions;

at least one cornice-locating portion; and

at least one grippable portion by which the tool may be manipulated by hand;

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the tool-locating portions include a portion arranged to contact the wall and a portion arranged to contact the ceiling.

3. The tool of claim 1 or 2 wherein the tool-locating portions include two portions arranged to contact the wall at mutually different spacings from the long axis.

4. The tool of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the tool-locating portions include two portions arranged to contact the ceiling at mutually different spacings from the long axis.

5. The tool of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the cornice-locating portion(s) include two portions spaced from each other in a plane perpendicular to the long axis.

6. The tool of claim 5 wherein the two portions include

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7. The tool of any one of claims 1 to 6 shaped for a user's hand to encircle the grippable portion.

8. The tool of claim 7 including an opening, through which the user's fingers may pass, to enable the encirclement.

9. The tool of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact, the at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis of the corner, without marking the wall or the ceiling.

10. The tool of any one of claims 1 to 9 being integrally formed.

11. A multi-purpose tool including a member defining two or more tools in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 10;

each of the tools, in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 10, being configured to complement a respective cornice profile.

12. The tool of any one of clams 1 to 9 including

a wall-contacting member;

a ceiling-contacting member;

a connecting member;

a connection; and

another connection;

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the wall-contacting member defining one of the tool-locating portions;

the one of the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact the wall;

the ceiling-contacting member defining another of the tool-locating portions;

if the other of the tool-locating portions being arranged to contact the ceiling;

13. A method, of installing a length of cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling, including

orienting the length relative to the corner; and

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the orienting including

contacting, the tool-locating portions of the tool of any one of claims 1 to 11, with at least one of the wall and the ceiling to limit rotation of the tool about the long axis; and

contacting the cornice-locating portion(s) of the tool with the cornice.

14. A method, of installing a length of cornice at a corner of a wall and a ceiling, including

orienting the length relative to the corner; and

the orienting including

15. The method of claim 14 including selecting portion, of a tool having two more portions configured to complement respective cornice profiles, configured to complement the cornice.

16. The method of claim 14 including adjusting the tool to suit the cornice.

2016102471 19 Jul 2016