CA2035484C - Flat finishing box apparatus comprising interchangeable heads - Google Patents

Flat finishing box apparatus comprising interchangeable heads Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2035484C
CA2035484C CA002035484A CA2035484A CA2035484C CA 2035484 C CA2035484 C CA 2035484C CA 002035484 A CA002035484 A CA 002035484A CA 2035484 A CA2035484 A CA 2035484A CA 2035484 C CA2035484 C CA 2035484C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
box
width
edge
swath
heads
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA002035484A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2035484A1 (en
Inventor
Donald M. Macmillan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Axia Inc
Original Assignee
Northstar Tool Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Application filed by Northstar Tool Corp filed Critical Northstar Tool Corp
Publication of CA2035484A1 publication Critical patent/CA2035484A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2035484C publication Critical patent/CA2035484C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04FFINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
    • E04F21/00Implements for finishing work on buildings
    • E04F21/165Implements for finishing work on buildings for finishing joints, e.g. implements for raking or filling joints, jointers
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04FFINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
    • E04F21/00Implements for finishing work on buildings
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04FFINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
    • E04F21/00Implements for finishing work on buildings
    • E04F21/02Implements for finishing work on buildings for applying plasticised masses to surfaces, e.g. plastering walls
    • E04F21/06Implements for applying plaster, insulating material, or the like
    • E04F21/08Mechanical implements
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04FFINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
    • E04F21/00Implements for finishing work on buildings
    • E04F21/165Implements for finishing work on buildings for finishing joints, e.g. implements for raking or filling joints, jointers
    • E04F21/1652Implements for finishing work on buildings for finishing joints, e.g. implements for raking or filling joints, jointers for smoothing and shaping joint compound to a desired contour

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Blast Furnaces (AREA)
  • Brushes (AREA)

Abstract

The flat finishing box has an attachable/detachable head which comprises a structural part incorporating the mouth and to which the edge assembly and edge assembly adjustment apparatus are attached, Heads are provided for dispensing mud in each of the three standard swath widths, 7", 10" and 12", so that any swath width can be dispensed from one box by interchanging heads attached to the box, The box cover is one extrusion and the bottom and back are another. The hinged edge of the cover has a cylindrical segment along the edge which fits into a partial cylindrical groove in the back, providing a leak proof hinge.

Description

~0~ ~~~~
2 ~ BACKGROUi~D OF THE IN'~ENTION
3 FIELD: The subject apparatus is in the field of hand tools, 4 specifically tools used on the end of a handle. More specifically it is in the field of such tools used in drywall constructian for finishing 6 the joints between panels of plasterboard. Still more specifically it 7 is in the field of flat finishing boxes used to dispense a compound, 8 termed mud in the trade, onto the joints and provide a smooth, 9 specifically contoured surface.
PRIOR ART: There is prior art in this field known to the subject 11 inventor and relating to flat finishing boxes as such but no prior art 12 isy~known for a flat finishing box which can be fitted with any of a 13 plurality of heads. As is well known in the art, finishing boxes are 14 made in three widths. The narrowest boxes dispense mud in a swath 7"
wide; the medium width boxes dispense in a swath width of 10 inches and 15 the widest boxes provide a swath 12 inches wide. A box is filled with 17 mud and used until refilling is required. In use a box is attached to 18 the end of a special handle by which it is held against and moved along 19 a joint. It is common procedure to first cover a joint with a 7 inch swath, then a 10" swath and finally a 12" swath, although the 10" or 12"
21 swaths may be omitted under certain circumstances. Each swath requires 22 a volume of mud per foot of joint ~r swath length. Because the 7°' swath 23 is applied first, the volume per foot for the 7" width is greater than 24 for the 10" and 12" widths. This fact, coupled with the fact that the 25' box for the 7" width has the least mud capacity of the three boxes, 26 makes it necessary to refill the 7°' box most frequently. In order to 27 apply swaths in sequence as described it is necessary to have boxes of 1 the various widths and handles for each or, if not, change handles from 2 box to box. in any case, it is well known that at any given time on a 3 job, approximately two out of three boxes are partially filled with mud 4 and idle and time is used changing handles from box to box.
In view of the above the objectives of the subject invention are to 6 reduce the frequency of refilling boxes providing 7" wide swaths, reduce 7 the number of idle, partially filled boxes, reduce the number of boxes 6 needed to provide a given work capacity, arid either reduce the frequency 9 of the need to ehange handles from box to box or the number of handles required for given work eapacity.

12 SUMMARY OF THE IPdVENTION
13 Description of the subject invention requires description of a 14 conventional flat finishing box. Such a box has two sides, a front, a back, a bottom, termed a working surface for purposes of this 16 disclosure, and a top, termed a cover. for purposes of this disclosure.
17 The dimension of the box from front to back is less than the dimension 18 from side to side, the dimension from side to side being the width of 19 the box. The back is narrow compared to the front, giving the box a wedge shaped crossection perpendicular to the width. The working 21 surface is provided with a slot, termed a mouth, at the juncture between 22 it and the front of the box and, in use, the mud is dispensed through 23 the mouth. The cover is hinged at the back (or removable) so that it 24 may be opened to permit clearing out the box and so that when it is forced toward the bottom (working surface), the volume of the space 26 enclosed is decreased, forcing the mud through the mouth. The front is 27 arced so that the cover stays in close proximity to it as it moves and ~fl3~~g~
1 seals are provided between the cover and the front and sides to prevent 2 mud leaks at the junctures of the cover and front and sides. Apparatus 3 teemed an edge assembly is attached to the box and includes an edge 4 extending across the front nearest the mouth. Parts called shoes are attached to the working face, at the ends of the edge and mouth and aligned 6 perpen- dicularly to the long dimension of the edge. Adjoining the 7 shoes are guards, extending froar the shoes toward the back edge of the 8 working surface. The exposed surfaces of the guards, shoes and edge lie 9 in a plane except that the edge can be bent, i.e. arced, out of the plane away from the working surface. A handle is attached to the cover.
11 In use the box, filled with mud, is first held against the plasterboard 12 astride a joint, with the tips of the shoes nearest the edge assembly 13 and the ends of the edge in eontact with the plasterboard and the center 14 of the edge arced away from the plasterboard. The handle is then manipulated so that the box is moved along the joint and as it moves the 16 cover is closed to force mud out of the mouth to be spread by the edge 17 into a swath having an arced crossectional shape. Apparatus is provided 18 to mechanically adjust the radius of the arc of the edge. In 19 conventional apparatus the mouth and edge extend essentially across the fell width of the box.
21 In the subject apparatus the shoes, edge and edge adjustment 22 apparatus are assembled to structure incorporating the mouth and the 23 assembly is termed the head and the reads are interchangeable on the 24 boxes. The width of the. box accommodates a head for making a 12" wide swath of mud, the edge and mouth in this head extending essentially from 26 side to side of the boxo In alternate heads, the mouth and edge are 27 centered lengthwise in the head and sized to provide either ~ 7" wide 1 swath or a 10" wide swath. The width of the swath being produced is 2 adjusted by interchanging heads on a box rather than boxes on a handle.
3 Guards are provided for all mouth widths.
4 It is considered to be understandable from this summary that the invention meets its objectives. No box need ever be idle and partly 6 filled until the last use of the work period. The seven inch width 7 swath requiring the highest volume of mud per foot of joint length is 8 provided from a 12 inch wide box instead of a 7 inch wide box, thus g increasing the time between refills by 70%. The number of boxes needed for given work capacity is reduced to 1/3 with corresponding reduction 11 of the number of handles required.
12 The i nventi on i s descri bed i n more detai 1 bel ow wi th reference to 13 the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTLON OF THE DRAk~INGS
16 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art flat finishing box with a 17 handle attached and ready for use on a joint between plasterboard 18 panels.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the subject invention showing the front, 21 side, working face and the head for producing a 7"' wide swath.

23 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a head.

25' FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the box with no head in place.
2s 27 FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the box from the Cover side.

1 FIG 6 is a sectional view taken at 6-6 in FIG 5 illustrating the cover hinge 2 configuration.

6 The subject invention is flat finishing apparatus comprising a box assembly 7 which can be fitted with any of a plurality of heads. There are preferably 3 heads, 8 each configured to provide one of the three standard width swaths of the plastering 9 compound termed mud in the trade, the standard widths being 7", 10" and 12".
FIG
1 illustrates a prior art box 10 being supported and operated by handle 11 attached 11 to the cover 12 of the box. The box has two sides 13 and 14, a front 15, a back 16 12 and a bottom termed, for purposes of this disclosure, the working surface held in this 13 view astride joint 17 between plasterboard panels 18 and 19 and ready to dispense 14 mud to fill in and smooth over the joint. Prior art boxes each provide one of the three standard swath widths of dispensed mud, a different box being required for each 16 swath width applied to each joint finished.

18 With the subject application, shown in FIG. 2, one box can be used to 19 dispense mud in all three swath widths by using three different heads on the box assembly. In FIG. 2 box 20 is fitted with head 21 held in place by clips 22 and 23.
21 Head 21 is configured to dispense a 7" swath width. The head is an assembly of 22 parts and comprises a base 24, shoes 25 and 26, edge 27 in edge assembly 28 and 23 the edge support and adjustment mechanism 29. The edge and its support and 24 adjustment mechanism are commercially available apparatus attached to the base.
The length of the edge assembly is termed its width for purposes of this disclosure.
26 Opening 30 in the base is the mouth, through which the box is filled 1 with mud and through which the mud is dispensed to be shaped and 2 smoothed by the edge. The long dimension of the mouth is termed its 3 width for purposes of this disclosure. The shoes and guards 31, 32, 33 4 and 34 keep the dispensed mud within the swath width produced by a particular head, guards 31 and 32 being for a 7 inch head. To change 6 swath widths one head is removed by releasing clips 22 and 23 and 7 another head installed and clipped into place. The shoes of a head for a 8 10" swath width will align with guards 33 and 34. In the head for a 12"
9 swath width the edge assembly and mouth extend from side to side of the box and sides 35 and 36 serve as the guards. In all cases contact 11 between the box and the plasterboard is confined to the ends of the shoes 12 in contact with the edge assembly and rollers 37 and 38, attached to the 13 sides near the back 39 of the box. There is enough clearance between 14 the guards and the plasterboard to prevent marking of a wider swath by the guards for a narrower swath.
16 FIG. 3 illustrates a head removed from the box and a box assembly 17 with the head removed is shown in FIG. 4. Front 15 of the box assembly 18 is bowed slightly at its edge 40 in the direction of arrow A. This assures a 19 tighter fit between edge 40 and the base 21 of the head to prevent leakage of the mud. Angle plates 41 and 42 are held in place by the 21 fasteners which attach clips 22 and 23 and the ends of the base of the 22 head are held between lips 43 and 44 of the angle plates and the sides of 23 the box assembly. The sides are notched so that the lips are flush with 24 edges 45 and 46 of the sides.
FIG. 5 illustrates the box from the cover side, showing cover 47 26 and cover return springs 48 and 49, connected as fasteners 50 and 51 on 27 the sides 35 and 36 and at pins 52 and 53 on the cover. Threaded studs 20~~~~~
1 54 and 55 are for the attachment of the handle. Seal 56 extends around 2 the front and sides of the cover. Thumbscrews 57 and 58 limit the 3 travel of the cover which can be opened when the thumbscrews are backed 4 out clear of the seal. Opening the cover expedites cleaning the box.
The cover is hinged to the back 39 of the box assembly as shown in 6 FIG. 6, a section taken at 6-6 in FIG. 5. The cover 47 is an extrusion 7 with a partial cylindrical segment 59 at its back edge 60. The back 39 8 and working surface 61 are segments of an extrusion and the back has a 9 partial cylindrical groove 62 into which segment 59 of the cover is fitted. This hinging technique prevents leakage through or around the 1I connection of the cover to the back.
12 It is considered understandable prom this description that the 13 invention meets its objectives. The frequency of refilling boxes 14 providing a seven inch swath width is reduced because a box 12 inches wide instead of seven inches wide is used. Also, since one box can be 16 used to provide all swath widths, each box can be used until it is 17 empty, reducing the number of boxes needed for given work capacity and 18 the number of boxes left partially filled and reducing also either the 19 number of handles needed or the frequency of the need to change handles from box to box, relative to work capacity.
21 It is considered that it will also be understood that while one 22 embodiment of the invention is de cribed, other embodiments and modifi-23 cations of the one described are possible within the scope of the 24 invention which is limited only by the attached claims.
25~
27 '

Claims (2)

1. A flat finishing apparatus comprising, in combination, a box assembly and a plurality of attachable/detachable heads, each of said plurality of heads comprising a base, an edge assembly and an edge assembly adjustment apparatus, said base incorporating a mouth having a first width, said edge assembly having a second width corresponding to said first width, said edge assembly and edge assembly adjustment apparatus being attached to said base, said first and second widths being different in each of said plurality of heads, whereby said apparatus is adapted to dispense material in a variety of swath widths from said box assembly, said box assembly further having a third width, first and second extremities of said third width, a center portion, a first portion near said first extremity of said third width, a second portion near said second extremity of said third width and a first channel interconnecting said first portion to said center portion and a second channel interconnecting said second portion to said center portion.
2. The flat finishing apparatus of Claim 1 whereby said apparatus is used to dispense mud and each of said plurality of heads is configured to produce a specific swath width of mud dispensed by said apparatus and said mouth has a first end and a second end and said apparatus further comprises shoes and guards permanently positioned on said heads and said base at said first and second mouth ends whereby said dispensed mud is kept within said swath width.
CA002035484A 1990-02-08 1991-02-01 Flat finishing box apparatus comprising interchangeable heads Expired - Lifetime CA2035484C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US47682790A 1990-02-08 1990-02-08
US476,827 1990-02-08

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2035484A1 CA2035484A1 (en) 1991-08-09
CA2035484C true CA2035484C (en) 2003-04-15

Family

ID=23893417

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002035484A Expired - Lifetime CA2035484C (en) 1990-02-08 1991-02-01 Flat finishing box apparatus comprising interchangeable heads

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0441455A1 (en)
AU (1) AU7086091A (en)
CA (1) CA2035484C (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD766057S1 (en) 2015-02-04 2016-09-13 Axia Acquisition Corporation Handle assembly for drywall finisher box

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7631389B2 (en) 2004-03-08 2009-12-15 Columbia Taping Tools Ltd. Hydraulically actuated handle apparatus
WO2015123066A1 (en) 2014-02-17 2015-08-20 Axia Acquisition Corporation Handle assembly for drywall finisher box
CN110924639B (en) * 2019-12-12 2021-01-26 温州国盛建设有限公司 House construction is with indoor automatic mechanism of plastering

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2889699A (en) * 1955-05-05 1959-06-09 George W Williams Mastic applicator with removable heads
US3888611A (en) * 1974-07-22 1975-06-10 Ulysses Stanley Ames Recess filling mastic applicator having four point contact with surface and novel tool-steering means

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD766057S1 (en) 2015-02-04 2016-09-13 Axia Acquisition Corporation Handle assembly for drywall finisher box
USD786034S1 (en) 2015-02-04 2017-05-09 Axia Acquisition Corporation Handle assembly for drywall finisher box

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU7086091A (en) 1991-08-15
CA2035484A1 (en) 1991-08-09
EP0441455A1 (en) 1991-08-14

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MKLA Lapsed
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Effective date: 20121202