Improved Apparatus for Forming a Corner of a Wall
Cross-Reference to Related Application
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. provisional patent application, serial No. 60/361,848, filed on March 4, 2002. The priority of the prior application is expressly claimed and its disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background of the Invention
This invention is related to the forming of a corner of a wall, particularly a wall made of sheet rock, also known as gypsum board.
When finishing the interior of a building, the wall frames are often covered with sheets of a gypsum material known as sheet rock. After the panels are mounted on the wall, the seams are taped and spackled and the corners finished with a tape or a corner forming member. If using a corner forming member, it can be very difficult to accurately place the corner member and retain it in place while it is spackled into place. A need therefore remains for an apparatus that reliably and easily defines a corner when building a wall. Summary of the Invention
The present invention is embodied in an improved corner member that can be readily and easily placed and retained on a "raw" corner, and then spackled with a joint compound to permanently bond the corner member to the wall and form a smooth finished surface. One preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, and generally comprises a central member
formed into the shape of a finished corner, i.e., either round or squared.
Extending from each vertical edge of the central member is a strip of mesh. On the inner surface of the central member and/or the mesh strips is an adhesive that temporarily bonds the corner member to the wall boards until the joint compound is applied and dried. The mesh rests on the surface of the adjacent wall board panel, and is embedded in the joint compound to permanently bond the corner member to each adjacent wall board. The adhesive is selected to remain tacky after initial application to the corner member, and to adhere to the underlying wallboard. The corner members are preferably formed of a polymeric material such as a thermoplastic. The mesh strip is preferably formed of commercially available polymeric mesh. In a preferred embodiment, the mesh strip and the central member are co-extruded to embed the mesh in the central portion of polymeric material. As the heated and softened polymeric material cools and hardens, the mesh strip is permanently embedded in the central member. In a preferred embodiment, the mesh strip is inset from the upper surface of the central member to provide a surface and space for the joint compound to meet smoothly with the central member. In other embodiments, the mesh is adhered to the central member by adhesive, welding or any other suitable means.
The corner members are provided in precut lengths that correspond to standard wall heights, facilitating ready corner formation without the need for unnecessary trimming, and contributing to higher production rates when utilizing the invention. Some preferred embodiments are pre-formed to common architectural angles such as 90° and 135°, but any suitable angle can be selected.
In another preferred embodiment, the central portion is flat, and is formable to essentially any angle for use in ceiling peaks for example.
These and other features of the invention will be described in detail by reference to the drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention and for use in forming a 90° square corner.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention and for use in forming a rounded 90° corner.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention and for use in forming a 135° corner.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention and for use in forming a rounded 135° corner.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and attached to the sheets of building material.
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment in which the central portion is flat, and is bendable to conform to nearly any angle Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring now to Fig. 1 , a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown at 10, and includes central portion 12 and left and right lateral portions 14 and 16 respectively. Central portion 12 is preferably formed from a molded thermoplastic material, although any other suitable material could also be used. In this
embodiment central portion 12 is formed at a right angle to define a right angle corner of a wall. In other embodiments the corner can be a rounded 90° corner (Fig. 2), or an angled or rounded 135° corner (Fig.'s 3 and 4 respectively). Other corner profiles and angles are also possible and are only limited by the architect's needs and imagination. Lateral portions 14 and 16 are preferably formed of a fiberglass mesh and are attached to central portion 12 by being molded into or co- extruded with the central portion as it is being manufactured. For example, in one method of forming the apparatus a mold (not shown) is provided with a central void defining the finished shape of the central portion 12. Adjacent the central void in the mold are left and right recesses sized to receive the precut mesh lateral portions. The inner edge of each precut mesh lateral portion extends into the central void. When molten material is introduced into the mold the edge of the precut mesh lateral portions is engulfed by molten material and permanently embedded there as the molten material cools and hardens. The mesh lateral portions 14 and 16 are thereby permanently mounted to the central portion 12. In another method of manufacturing the invention, a mesh strip is co-extruded through a die and embedded in the central portion 12 as it is extruded through an extrusion die. In this embodiment the mesh is a single strip that protrudes from each edge of the central body 12.
The corner forms of this invention are preferably precut to lengths corresponding to standard or common wall heights to minimize the trimming necessary during installation, although the invention is not limited to any specific dimension, and could also be provided in bulk roll form.
Turning now to Fig.'s 5 and 6, the mounting of the apparatus to the sheets of building materials will be described in greater detail. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , and including central portion 12 and lateral portions 14 and 16. In this embodiment, the outer surfaces 18 and 20 of lateral portions 14 and 16 respectively are recessed from the outer surface 22 of central portion 12 to form a recess into which spackling 25 (joint compound) is placed to finish the joint. On the inner surfaces 24 of the left and right lateral portions is a contact adhesive 26. Fig. 6 shows the finished corner in cross section, • including the left and right sheets of building material 28 and 30, central portion
12, and lateral portions 14 and 16. Lateral portions 14 and 16 are adhered to the respective left and right sheets of building material by adhesive 26. While in the preferred embodiment adhesive 26 is a contact adhesive, any suitable adhesive in any suitable form (tape, liquid, solid) can be used. The recess portion of each of the lateral portions 14 and 16 is filled with a spackling compound (joint compound) 34 that covers the seams and forms a finished outer surface between the central portion 12 and the sheets of building material.
As mentioned above, this invention includes embodiments that form any desired angle between adjacent sheets, and any corner profile, e.g. rounded, squared, oblique, etc. Referring to Fig. 7, in one such embodiment the central portion 12 is formed in a flat configuration and includes the protruding mesh lateral portions 14 and 16 as described above. In the illustrated embodiment the mesh 35 is a single piece with a first portion 35 embedded in central portion 12 and lateral portions 14, 16 extending from the central portion. Central portion 12
is flexible and can therefore be bent to nearly any desired angle to accommodate installation along roof peaks and other areas that do not conform to normal 90° or 135° angles. In the embodiment shown a notch 38 is formed in central portion 12 to enhance the flexibility of the central portion.
The invention has been described by reference to preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention as described can be modified in detail and material of construction without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.