AU2774800A

AU2774800A - Height adjustable levelling support

Info

Publication number: AU2774800A
Application number: AU27748/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ilario Valenzisi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-04-15
Filing date: 2000-04-14
Publication date: 2000-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-14
Also published as: AU764883B2

Description

50298 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: ILARIO VALENZISI Actual Inventor(s): ILARIO VALENZISI Address for Service: COLLISON CO.,117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention Title: HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE LEVELLING SUPPORT Details of Associated Provisional Application: Australian Patent Application No. PP9752 Dated 15th April 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: *eoe e *ee Nam of Aplcat *ee ILRI VAEZS method of performing it known to us: The present invention relates to a height adjustable support. In particular this invention relates to a height adjustable support that may be used to support a beam that supports tiles to be fixed on a wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When tiling walls it is important that the upper edge of a row of tiles is laid generally horizontally. Any deviation from a horizontal row, even small, is easily observed and leads to an unsatisfactory look. If the level of the floor was perfectly horizontal one could simply lay the first row of tiles at the wall/floor intersection and keep on laying the tiles in further rows up on the wall.

However, floors are generally never level and rooms such as bathrooms are by choice sloping to allow for water drain.

To solve this problem tilers generally tile a first row of tiles at a set distance above the floor that is less than the height of a tile, and try and make this row as level as possible. Subsequent rows are then laid using the upper edge of 15 the first row for alignment. The gap between the first row and the floor is then filled with tiles that are appropriately cut.

However, tiles are quite heavy and it is necessary to support the first row of tiles, which then supports subsequent rows. If the first row of tiles is not supported for a number of hours, the tiles will gradually creep and slip down 20 the wall. To support tiles it is generally known to use a straight piece of timber or steel which is raised above the floor by resting on blocks such as bricks or other building material found at a building site. Both ends of the timber or steel beam are so supported and its level is adjusted by adding to the blocks.

Generally any suitable material is used, and suffice to say that this is a very awkward and not very precise method and leads to a beam or structure that may not be as stable as required. Furthermore, it may be difficult to find suitable pieces of building material to be used as blocks and which may be needed to raise the height at one end of the beam by a small amount only.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for a tile support member whose support is height adjustable and which overcomes at least some of the abovementioned problems or provides the public with a useful alternative.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the invention there is proposed a tile support member including a base, a post extending upwardly from said base, and an arm extending laterally from and slidable along said post, said arm being lockable in a position along said post wherein in use at least two such members are spaced apart and adapted to support a beam that in turn supports a row of tiles placed on a wall. Of course, more than two such supports may be used.

It may also be that in some instance it may be desirable that rows of tiles are at pre-determined angles. This invention allows the angle to be controlled by 10 adjusting the height of separate supporting members.

Preferably said base is of a generally flat surface configuration and sits on a floor adjacent the wall to be tiled. It may also be that the outer edge of the base is flat, and that the inner surface is raised form the ground.

.Preferably said base is of a rectangular configuration wherein the edge of the 15 base generally parallel to said wall is of a smaller dimension than the edge generally perpendicular to the wall.

In preference said post extends adjacent an edge of said base.

In preference said post extends upwardly form said base adjacent an edge furthest away from said wall. This allows the arm to extend towards the wall.

Preferably said post is fixed to the base by means of welding. Other fixing methods may equally well be used such as stamping.

Preferably said arm slidably moves up and down said post.

In preference said arm includes an aperture straddling said post. However, it may be that there is a groove in the arm that engages the post rather than a closed aperture.

In preference said arm includes said aperture and is at a pre-determined angle to the other end of the arm adapted to support said straight member.

Generally that angle is in the range of some 10-30 degrees.

Preferably the cross-section of the aperture is greater than the cross-section of the post but not so much greater so that when the end of the arm adapted to support said straight member is generally perpendicular to the wall, the effective horizontal cross-section of the aperture is smaller than the post thereby locking said arm in position on said post.

Preferably said post includes a upper end whose cross-section is smaller than the aperture thereby imprisoning said arm on said post.

Preferably said upper end includes a protrusion that acts to reduce the crosssection of the post at its upper end.

In a further aspect of the invention there is proposed a tile support adapted to support a beam to support a row of tiles, said tile support including an arm 10 slidably engaging an upright member that is fixedly attached to a base said arm adapted to be locked in position alongside said post.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention are described hereunder in some detail with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention in use; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 4 is a rear view of the invention in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the above figures it is to be understood that like elements are described by like numerals in the drawings. Accordingly there is shown in Fig. 1 an adjustable tile support 10 including a base 12, a post 14 extending generally upwardly from the base and an arm 16 laterally extending from said post. In its normal position the arm is generally parallel to the base. The arm 16 includes an aperture 18 at one end whose size is slightly larger than the dimension of the post 14 allowing it to slide along up and down along said post. To ensure that the arm is not removable from the post, the upper crosssection of the post is made to be slightly smaller than the aperture preventing the arm from sliding of the post. In this embodiment this is achieved by the use of a protrusion 20 that is added to the post after the arm is slipped on to the post. It is to be understood that other ways of achieving this result may very well be used. As a finish to the support 10, the upper end of the post may include a rubber insert 22 that provides for softer surface to prevent personal injury.

To use the invention in supporting a row of tiles, two supports are placed at a distance apart, and a straight member 24, such as a metal bar or a piece of wood, is placed on the arms (Fig. A level is then used to ensure that the straight member is level. If not, one or both of the arms are moved along their 10 respective posts until the desired level is achieved.

To keep the arm locked in place to its position on the post, one needs to have a fixing means. This may be achieved a number of ways, such as having a screw attached to the arm and adapted to engage the post. In the particular embodiment shown, the locking is achieved by the arm comprising of two o.0* 15 ends bent with respect to each other. One of the bent ends includes the aperture, the other the end that supports the straight member. What this achieves is that the inside surface of the aperture is at an angle with respect to the post when the other end supports the straight member. Thus as shown in Fig. 3, the upper edge 26 and the bottom edge 28 of the aperture bite into the post when the arm is generally perpendicular to the post. This is so since the part of the arm 30 having the aperture is at an angle to respect to the rest of the arm. To move the arm along the post, the arm is tilted in direction 32 until the portion 30 is generally perpendicular to the post enabling the arm to slide along the post.

It is therefore to be seen that the inside surface of the aperture need be parallel to the post to enable the arm to move along the post whilst when some of the surface is angled to the post, the effective cross-section of the aperture is decreased resulting in some of the edges of the arm engaging the post and the effectively locking the arm in place. Obviously this result may be achieved with other configurations, such as having an aperture with at least two inside surfaces, (those perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm), angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the post. Adding weight to the arm increase the frictional bite of the aperture on the post and assists in locking the arm in place on the post.

Once the correct level of the support member 24 is achieved, tiles 34 can be placed on the wall supported by the member 24. It is also to be understood that depending on the material used two tile supports may support member 24 that may be quite long. It is preferable that the tile support be made form a metal, typically at least 5mm in thickness, which has been found to support a weight of tens of kilograms. Made from a metal, the tiling support is also robust. The above configurations of the angled aperture also ensures that as 10 a greater weight is placed on the support, the greater the bite of the edges on the post resulting in a firmer lock. When the tiles have sufficiently bonded to a wall, the support is easily removed by pulling the base upwardly releasing the :support member.

It is to be clearly understood that the above description is only of one 15 embodiment of the invention. Many other variations may equally well be employed without deviating from the scope of the invention. It is therefore not :i intended to limit the invention to the description above, it is only to be used by way of explaining the invention only.

Thus, the key aspects are that a supporting arm is moveable along a support, 20 such as a post, ad is lockable in position alongside said support so that it can hold a st5raight member that than provides support for a row of tiles. The exact configuration of the arm, the post and the base are not critical to the invention, it is rather the functionality that is. Thus the foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is also to be understood that whilst the above description related to supporting tiles the present invention may be used to provide a support that is adjustable in height for other applications.

Claims

1. A tile support member including a base, a post extending upwardly from said base, and an arm extending laterally from and slidable along said post, said arm being lockable in a position along said post wherein in use at least two such members are spaced apart and adapted to support a beam that in turn supports a row of tiles placed on a wall.

2. A tile support member as in claim 1 wherein said base is of a generally flat surface configuration and sits on a floor adjacent the wall to be tiled. A tile support member as in claim 2 wherein said base is of a rectangular 10 configuration wherein the edge of the base generally parallel to said wall is of a smaller dimension than the edge generally perpendicular to the wall.

4. A tile support member as in any one of the above claims wherein said post extends adjacent an edge of said base. Is 5. A tile support member as in claim 4 wherein said post extends upwardly form said base adjacent an edge furthest away from said wall. •ego

6. A tile support member as in any one of the above claims wherein said post is fixed to the base by means of welding.

7. A tile support member as in any one of the above claims wherein said arm slidably moves up and down said post.

8. A tile support member as in claim 7 wherein said arm includes an aperture straddling said post.

9. A tile support member as in claim 8 wherein one end of said arm includes said aperture and is at a pre-determined angle to the other end of the arm adapted to support said straight member. tile support as in claim 9 wherein the cross-section of the aperture is greater than the cross-section of the post but not so much greater so that when the end of the arm adapted to support said straight member is generally perpendicular to the wall, the effective horizontal cross-section of the aperture is smaller than the post thereby locking said arm in position on said post.

11.A tile support as in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein said post includes a upper end whose cross-section is smaller than the aperture thereby imprisoning said arm on said post.

12.A tile support as in claim 11 wherein said upper end includes a protrusion that acts to reduce the cross-section of the post at its upper end.

13.A tile support adapted to support a beam to support a row of tiles, said tile support including an arm slidably engaging an upright member that is 10 fixedly attached to a base said arm adapted to be locked in position alongside said post. Dated this 14th day of April 2000 ILARIO VALENZISI by his Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO