AU738183B2 - Building moulding - Google Patents

Description

49686 DL P/00/01i1 AUSTALIARegulation 3.2 Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Nam ofApiat PEE RICOT .A Acua Ineno:

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ADRSSFR EVIE 132.1'2)- PEE 9ICOT

ALTERE

Adrs fo evc:0 n&\0 SA-Q-o W016009 O, 7-K0.ilimS~et dlieSA 0 Ineto Tile Neaes of ApliatdPoiinlAplcto) Actualia Inventr Aplcto o P10 ae 21aurEG99 TheSO follow17 ing sttmetiaflla dsrto ofhis invnt. n 5000ig h bs method of performing it known to us: BUILDING MOULDING The present invention relates to a moulding and in particular to a moulding to be used in conjunction with a cornice to assist in sealing the gap between a wall and a ceiling subjected to relative movement therebetween.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION o Cornices are used to seal the junction between a ceiling and a wall. In its simplest ogle.

form a cornice is a longitudinal member usually made of a plaster material having two orthogonal longitudinal faces, one of the faces attachable to a ceiling and the other to a wall. The cornice provides a seal between the roof space and the inside of a room and also provides for a visually appealing finish. For this reason cornices have evolved where within the included angle of the two faces there is provided a variety of shapes and fancy artwork all adding to the visual appeal of the cornice.

The problem with existing comrnices occurs due to the relative movement that may occur between the ceiling and the wall. Relative movement is quite common, and may occur for a variety a reasons such as movement of the roof structure due to wind and heat and soil movement related to the moisture content of the soil. The relative movement of the ceiling to the wall may cause one of the faces of the ~cornice, generally the wall face, to detach breaking a seal and revealing gaps. In some houses gaps of up to 5 mm between the wall and the cornice are not uncommon. Conventional repair methods of using plaster and repainting are usually only a temporary solution and after several months time the relative movement of the wall and ceiling causes the same problem to occur again.

The detachment of the cornice from the wall or ceiling not only breaks the seal to the (oof space which enables dust and particles to fall into the room but is visually unattractive. In addition, during the detachment of the cornice from either the wall or the ceiling, flakes and/or particles of paint and/or plaster produce a mess.

It is an object of the present invention to provided for a moulding used in conjunction with a cornice that overcomes at least some of the abovementioned problems or provides the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one form of the invention though this need not be the only or indeed the broadest form there is proposed a moulding to be used with a cornice including; a first surface able to be fixed to a wall; and a second surface adapted to resiliently abut against at least a part of said comrnice so as to provide an effective seal between the cornice and the moulding through relative movement therebetween.

o• In preference the second surface is made, at least in part, from rubber material so 10 as to be flexible and resilient.

•In preference the second surface is compressible over a depth of at least millimeters. It is expected that this range will account for almost all of the relative vertical movement between a ceiling and a wall.

In preference said second surface is at least several centimeters in width, with 5 respect to its longitudinal axis. This should be a sufficient depth to allow for the horizontal movement between the ceiling and the wall.

In preference said first and second surface are substantially orthogonal to each other. This construction is favoured when attaching said moulding to a wall and to a cornice between the ceiling and the wall.

In preference at the intersection of the first and second surfaces there is a groove able to contain particles therein.

In preference said moulding further includes decorative grooves in the included angle between the first and second surfaces.

In preference said first surface includes an adhesive to assist in fixing the moulding to a wall.

In preference said moulding includes a paintable surface.

In preference said moulding is made from flexible materials.

In a further form of the invention there is provided a moulding for use with a comrnice, said moulding composed of two elastic parts divided by a groove and adapted to be pivotable to each other along said groove, one of said parts adapted to abut and engage a wall and the other to engage the bottom of a comrnice attached to a ceiling, wherein during relative motion of the wall to the ceiling said cornice remains in an abutting relationship with both said wall and comrnice.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ooooo Several embodiments of the invention are described hereunder in some detail with S"reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a moulding according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the moulding of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the moulding of Figure 1 when the cornice has disengaged a wall; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the moulding and cornice of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a moulding according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the moulding of Figure 5 when used with a pomrnice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to the drawings in detail there is shown a comrnice 10 that is known to provide a seal between a wall 12 and ceiling 14. The cornice 10 generally has two substantially orthogonal surfaces, a back surface 16 adapted to be attached to wall 12 and a top surface 18 adapted to be attached to ceiling 14, generally by using a suitable adhesive. The comrnice is usually manufactured from a plaster material covered with a paintable surface and is supplied in lengths allowing it to be cut for different size rooms.

According to the present invention there is provided a moulding 20 adapted to be fixed to wall 12 adjoining and below cornice 10. Cornices may be of different shapes, with the most common shape being the ovolo or cove shape where at the spaced apart ends of the surfaces are ledges 22. The ledges may be up to several centimeters in width, the actual width not affecting the function of the comrnice but with the common width being around 10 millimeters. Within the included angle 10 between the back and top surfaces the cornice may have decorative features such o as projections 24 and grooves 26.

In one embodiment of the invention the moulding typically has a rear surface 28 able to be fixed to wall 12 and a side surface 30 that abuts against ledge 22 of the back surface 16. At the intersection of the rear and side surface is disposed groove ooo.

30 that may accommodate cabling or the like as well as collect any particles that fall between the back surface 16 and the wall 12. This usually occurs when there is relative movement between the wall and comrnice and particles/chunks of plaster or paint 32 may fall down and are collected within groove *.go The side surface of the moulding is of a resilient nature so that when it is mounted on the wall it compressively abuts against the cornice ledge 22, this feature shown in Figure 3 and 4. However, it is not mounted so that it is fully compressed, it is preferred that it is mounted so that the moulding may move vertically as shown by arrow 34 with respect to the cornice and still abut against the ledge thereby maintaining the seal.

The side surface of the moulding also allows the cornice to move horizontally as shown by arrow 36 in with respect to the moulding and wall. The resilience of the side of the moulding also accommodates this motion and ensures that the seal is unbroken.

The moulding may be manufactured from well known suitable materials such as plaster and including a resilient materials such as rubber on the side of the moulding abutting the cornice. The moulding may also be flexible along its longitudinal direction and may be made in indefinite lengths and cut to size when in use. The moulding itself may also contain decorative features 38 so that to the visual appearance it looks like the continuation of the comrnice. Thus the moulding may be used to also add visual appeal to existing cornices even where there is no movement experienced between the wall and the ceiling. Even when the cornice moves with respect to the moulding, the resultant shape therebetween appears to the casual observer to simply be another decorative projection/groove In a second preferred embodiment of the invention and as shown in Figures 5 and 6 the moulding further includes a longitudinal slit 42 extending generally through the center portion of the moulding and which divides the moulding into two parts, a wall 10 engaging part 44 and cornice engaging part 46. The slit allows the two parts to flex or bend with respect to each other. This may be important where the bottom wall o.

engaging part is firmly fixed to the wall and the cornice moves with respect to the wall. The presence of the slit allows the cornice engaging part 44 to move with the cornice whilst the wall engaging part is still fixed to the wall.

To further assist in attaching the moulding to the wall there are provided in the two moulding parts grooves 48 and 50. Groove 48, located in the wall engaging part accommodates an adhesive that fills the groove long the length of the moulding.

•e Groove 50 can also be filled with adhesive. Generally, however, it is only spotted with adhesive to provide a relative attachment to the wall so as to enable the cornice engaging part to move with the cornice and not be firmly stuck to the wall.

To provide a volume where any broken of plaster is collected by the moulding, in the second preferred embodiment, instead of there being a cut-out as shown in Figure 1, the cornice engaging part bends outwardly defining a gap 52 to accommodate any loose material. Thus as shown in Figure 6, in use the moulding is attached to the wall primarily by the wall engaging part of the moulding in a position where the cornice engaging part of the moulding abuts against the cornice 54. The cornice itself is attached to both the wall 56 and the ceiling 58. And if the comice ever disengages form the wall, the cornice engaging part of the moulding moves with it whilst the wall engaging part remains fixed to the wall. The appearance of the cornice is therefore unchanged and any debris is imprisoned in the gap between the moulding and the wall.

In general it has been found that a moulding used with a standard 70 millimeters cover cornice need be around 25-32 millimeters in height (vertical extend against the wall) and 12 millimeters in width (horizontal extend when measure with respect to the ceiling). Additionally when the moulding is affixed to the wall, it provides support for the comrnice if it detaches from the wall. It also allows the comrnice to be reattached to or glued to the wall by using a tube type contained glue. The moulding may be made form a white rubber sponge material for ease of painting.

Thus the present invention teaches a moulding that may be flexible to follow the curves of a wall, is light weight, requires no drilling to be attached to a wall, is easy to install and eliminates the necessity for short term repairs. Being made from a lightweight flexible material it also lends itself to easy cutting by the use of scissors.

l It is to be understood that the above description is used to describe the invention by way of example only. Other variations may equally well be employed without deviating from the scope of the invention. These may include adapting the moulding so that it is attachable to the ceiling to cover any gap if the cornice detached from the ceiling. Other adaptations may include providing the moulding with cavities accommodating cabling such as telephone wires. yet other variations may include lights mounted in the moulding and other decorative features.

While the invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, the person skilled in the art will appreciate the various modifications, changes and substitutions which may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The descriptions of the subject matter in this disclosure are illustrative of the invention and are not intended to be construed as limitations upon the scope of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. A moulding to be used with a comrnice including; a first surface adapted to be fixed to a wall; and a second surface adapted to resiliently abut against at least a part of said cornice so as to provide an effective seal between the cornice and the moulding through relative movement therebetween.

2. A moulding as in claim 1 wherein said second surface is made, at least in part, from rubber material so as to be flexible and resilient.

3. A moulding as in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said second surface is ooooo 10 compressible over a depth of at least 5 millimeters.

4. A moulding as in any one of the above claims wherein said first and second surfaces are substantially orthogonal to each other.

A moulding as in any one of the above claims wherein at the intersection of the first and second surfaces there is a groove able to contain particles therein.

6. A moulding as in any one of the above claims wherein said moulding further includes at least one groove in said first surface adapted to accommodate adhesive for fixing said moulding to said wall.

7. A moulding as in any one of the above claims further including a slit disposed longitudinally along said moulding and separating said moulding into a wall engaging part and a comrnice abutting part.

8. A moulding as in claim 7 wherein said cornice abutting part diverges outwardly form said wall.

9. A moulding as in any one of the above claims wherein said moulding further includes decorative grooves in the included angle between the first and second surfaces.

A moulding for use with a cornice, said moulding composed of two elastic parts divided by a groove and adapted to be pivotable to each other along said groove, one of said parts adapted to engage a wall and the other to abut and engage the bottom of a cornice attached to a ceiling, wherein during relative motion of the wall to the ceiling said moulding remains in an abutting relationship with both said wall and cornice.

11. A moulding substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

12. A moulding substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figures and 6. Dated this 6th day of July 2001 PETER RICCIOTTI By his Patent Attorneys 5 Lesicar Perrin *oo• *•o oo•