WO2022008617A1

WO2022008617A1 - Mason's ruler

Info

Publication number: WO2022008617A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/068891
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fabrice Carpanzano
Original assignee: Fabrice Carpanzano
Priority date: 2020-07-08
Filing date: 2021-07-07
Publication date: 2022-01-13
Also published as: FR3112357A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a mason's ruler comprising a parallelepiped ruler body (1), characterised in that: - the ruler body (1) is modular, formed from at least two abutting rigid profile sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d), - the profile sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) having hollow abutting ends, - the profile sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) are assembled together by means of a connector (2) that fits into the abutting ends of the profile sections, - the profile sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) and the connector (2) are configured such that, when the profile sections are abutting and assembled, their outer surfaces are flush.

Description

Title: Mason's Rule

Technical area.

[1] The subject of the invention is a mason's rule. It also relates to a ready-to-assemble assembly (or kit) making it possible to form a mason's rule.

[2] The invention relates to the technical field of masons' tools used in the construction of buildings.

State of the art.

[3] A mason's ruler is a tool used by several trades (masons, tilers, plasterers, etc.). It is essentially used to check the flatness of the work carried out, the alignments, the straight lines as well as the condition and/or the flatness of the supports on which a worker must intervene. The mason's rule is also used for pulling screed, concrete, mortar, plaster, etc.

[4] The mason's ruler comes in the form of a large ruler, usually made of aluminum. The rule body is usually one-piece, the length of 2 m, 3 m or 4 m is fixed, so that the rule is generally difficult to transport. In addition, if the surface or the support on which the mason's rule must be installed does not have the same length as the said rule, then the use of the latter can become relatively complex. For example, if the mason's rule is too small, it is necessary to pull a screed, concrete, mortar or plaster in several passes, which can be tedious. And if the mason's rule is too large, it is simply unusable for this type of operation. The same problems arise when the mason's rule is used to check flatness, alignments, lines or the state of support.

[5] The documents FR 3004 672, US 5388 338, US 5 468 095, US 2014 314 482 are known in the state of the art.

[6] In particular in US 5,468,095, the profiles do not have a closed profile section since they are open on their lower sides. Furthermore, the profiles and the connector of this document US 5,468,095 are not configured so that when said profiles are butted and assembled, their outer surfaces being flush. [7] One object of the invention is to remedy all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks.

[8] Another object of the invention is to provide a mason's rule which is easily transportable.

[9] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mason's rule whose length can be easily adapted to the length of the surface or support on which it is intended to be installed.

[10] An additional object of the invention is to provide a mason's ruler whose design is simple and which is easy to use.

Presentation of the invention.

[11] The solution proposed by the invention is a mason's rule comprising:

- a parallelepiped-shaped rule body, which body is modular, formed of at least two butted rigid profiles,

- the profiles, of rectangular or square section with smooth and flat longitudinal and lateral faces, have hollow butt ends,

- the sections are assembled together by means of a connector which fits into the butt ends of said sections,

- the profiles and the connector are configured so that when said profiles are butted and assembled, their outer surfaces are flush, in which the connector has grooves adapted to engage in complementary grooves arranged in the butt ends.

[12] The rule body is now made up of an assembly of profiles so that the mason's rule is modular. An operator can thus easily and quickly adjust the length of the ruler to that of the surface or of the support on which said ruler is intended to be installed. In addition, the rule body can be easily disassembled so that it is easy to transport, with a small footprint. In addition, the outer surfaces of the profiles being flush after interlocking, the operator has a straight mason's rule, with flat faces, like the mason's rules usually offered commercially. The practice of the operator is therefore not modified or disturbed.

[13] Other advantageous features of the invention are listed below. Each of these characteristics can be considered alone or in combination with the remarkable characteristics defined above. Each of these characteristics contributes, where appropriate, to the resolution of specific technical problems defined further on in the description and to which the remarkable characteristics defined above do not necessarily participate. The latter may be the subject, where appropriate, of one or more divisional patent applications:

- According to one embodiment, the mason's ruler comprises a locking means for locking the connector in position in the butt ends.

- According to one embodiment, the connector is inserted into each profile over a length which is between 1/3 and 1/2 times the length of said profile.

- According to one embodiment, each profile has a length of between 20 cm and 1 m.

- According to one embodiment, the profiles have different lengths.

- According to one embodiment, the profiles have the same length.

- According to one embodiment, the connector is made of aluminum.

- According to one embodiment, one or more pads made of flexible material are arranged on one or more external walls of the connector and/or on one or more internal walls of the abutment ends.

[14] Another aspect of the invention relates to a ready-to-assemble assembly - or kit - to form the mason's rule according to one of the preceding characteristics, comprising:

- several profiles,

- several connectors.

Brief description of figures.

[15] Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear better on reading the description of a preferred embodiment which follows, in reference to the attached drawings, produced by way of indicative and non-limiting examples and on which:

[Fig. 1] is a schematic perspective view of a mason's rule according to the invention.

[Fig. 2] schematically, seen from above, the mason's rule of figure 1.

[Fig. 3] illustrates the assembly of two profiles using a connector.

[Fig. 4] is a schematic sectional view along A-A of the ruler of FIG. 2, according to a first embodiment.

[Fig. 5] is a schematic sectional view along A-A of the ruler of FIG. 2, according to a second embodiment.

[Fig. 6] is a schematic sectional view along A-A of the ruler of FIG. 2, according to a third embodiment.

[Fig. 7] is a schematic sectional view along A-A of the ruler of FIG. 2, according to a fourth embodiment.

Description of embodiments.

[16] For the sake of clarity, the following clarifications are made to certain terms used in the description and the claims:

- As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", etc., to describe an object merely indicates that different occurrences of similar objects are mentioned and does not imply that the objects thus described must be in a given sequence, whether in time, in space, in a classification or in any other way.

- Similarly, the use of the adjectives “right/left”, “in front/behind”

"up/down" etc., is used to simply describe the position of an object in the configuration of the appended figures, but does not necessarily imply that in practice similar objects are in the same position.

- “X and/or Y” means: X alone, or Y alone, or X and Y.

- In general, it will be appreciated that the various drawings are not drawn to scale from one figure to another nor within a given figure, and in particular that the objects are arbitrarily drawn to facilitate reading drawings. [17] Referring to Figure 1, the mason's rule comprising a rule body 1 of parallelepiped shape, whose section is rectangular or square, and whose longitudinal and lateral faces are smooth and flat. By way of example, its length is between 60 cm and 4 m, its width between 2 cm and 15 cm and its height between 2 cm and 10 cm.

[18] The rule body 1 is modular so that its length is adjustable. It is formed of several profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d butted and assembled by interlocking. The number of profiles used to form the rule body 1 can vary from 2 to 10 depending on the desired length. Profiles 10a, 10b, 10c,

10d have a rectangular or square section. Their length is preferably between 20 cm and 1 m. Preferably, the longitudinal and lateral faces of the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are smooth and flat. According to one embodiment, one or more of the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d include a spirit level on one or more of these faces.

[19] According to one embodiment, the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are all identical. They have the same section and the same length. For example, each profile has a length of 50 cm. An operator can then obtain a mason's rule of 1 m by assembling two profiles; a 1.5 m rule by assembling three profiles; etc The length of the mason's rule can thus be adjusted with an increment corresponding to the length of a profile.

[20] According to another embodiment, all or part of the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c,

10d are different. They have the same section, but can be of different lengths. For example, some profiles are 50 cm long and other profiles are 20 cm long. An operator can thus obtain a 1.2 m mason's rule by assembling two 50 cm sections and a 20 cm section; a 1.9 m ruler by assembling three 50 cm profiles and two 20 cm profiles, etc. Compared to the previous embodiment, the length of the mason's rule can be adjusted with several increments corresponding to the different lengths of the profiles. The operator therefore has a greater choice to adjust, with more precision, the length of the mason's rule to that of the surface or of the support on which said rule is intended to be installed. [21] In any case, the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d can be cut, for example by means of a saw, so as to adjust their length.

[22] Sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are rigid. They can be made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, or of plastic material such as PPH (Polypropylene homo), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butabiene-Styrene), PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), PC (Polycarbonate), PVC (Polyvinylchloride ), etc They can be obtained by molding, injection, extrusion, etc.

[23] Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d have abutment ends 100a, 100b which are hollow. These abutment ends correspond to the transverse ends of the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. Each profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d therefore has two abutting ends so that it can be put in place on one side or the other, without having to worry about a direction of positioning.

[24] According to one embodiment, each profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is solid and blind cavities are provided at the abutment ends 100a, 100b so as to make them hollow. These blind cavities can have a square or rectangular section (FIG. 4) or another shape (FIG. 5). According to another embodiment, each section 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is hollow so that one and the same cavity opens out at its butt ends.

[25] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, connectors 2 are used to assemble the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d by interlocking. Each connector 2 is in the form of a single piece. By way of example, its length is between 5 cm and 1 m, its width between 1.5 cm and 14 cm and its height between 1.5 cm and 9 cm. According to one embodiment, the length of the connectors 2 corresponds to those of the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. As explained further in the description, the connector 2 can then be inserted into each profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d over a length which corresponds to half the length of said profile, thereby conferring great stability and robustness on the assembly of the rule body 1. However, a shorter connector 2 can be considered. The inventor has notably been able to observe that good results in terms of stability and robustness of the assembly of the rule body 1 were obtained with a connector 2 which is inserted into each profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d over a length corresponding to 1/3 of the length of said profile.

[26] The connectors 2 are preferably rigid. They can be made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, or of plastic material such as PPH (Polypropylene homo), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butabiene-Styrene), PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), PC (Polycarbonate), PVC (Polyvinylchloride ), etc They can be obtained by molding, injection, extrusion, etc. They can be made from the same material as the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d or from a separate material. For example, the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d can be made of metal and the connectors 2 of plastic material. Or vice versa. The core of connectors 2 can be solid or hollow.

[27] Referring to Figure 3, the connector 2 fits into an abutment end 100a of a first profile 10a, and fits into an abutment end 100b of a second profile 10b. When the sections 10a and 10b are assembled by bringing them together and brought into abutment, the connector 2 is completely housed in said sections and forms a connecting piece. The sections 10a, 10b having the same external dimensions, their external surfaces are flush when they are butted (figure 1).

[28] According to one embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, stop elements 20 are used to block the longitudinal translation of the connectors 2 in the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. This abutment element 20 can be formed by the bottom wall of the blind cavity provided at the level of each abutment end 100a, 100b. As a variant, this abutment element 20 can be formed by a recess or an added element, arranged in the internal wall of the profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, in particular when the latter is hollow right through from its ends to abutment.

[29] According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the connector 2 is of generally parallelepipedal shape. Its longitudinal and lateral faces are smooth and flat. Its section is rectangular or square. His soul is full, but could be hollow. [30] According to the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, the connector 2 has grooves 200 adapted to engage in complementary grooves 120 provided in the abutment ends 100a, 100b. The splines 120, 200 can be square, rectangular, triangular, arcuate, etc. Their number can for example vary from 1 to 10. They can be obtained by molding or grooving. They form a male-female assembly. The grooves 200 are parallel and extend longitudinally on one or more external walls of the connector 2. They can be provided over the entire length of the connector 2 or over only one part. The splines 120 are arranged in a complementary manner on one or more internal walls of the cavities of the abutment ends 100a, 100b. The splines 120 and 200 cooperate in such a way as to limit, or even eliminate, the transverse and lateral translation movements of the connectors 2 in the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. This ensures that the rule body 1 remains perfectly straight and retains its flatness after assembly of the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, without the possibility of deformation in use.

[31] The transverse ends of the connector 2 are advantageously beveled or chamfered so as to facilitate its insertion into the butt ends 100a, 100b.

[32] According to one embodiment, the external dimensions of the connector 2, in width and in height, are adjusted to the internal dimensions, in width and in height, of the cavities of the abutment ends 100a, 100b. This adjustment makes it possible to limit or eliminate the transverse and lateral translation movements of the connector 2 in the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. This ensures that the rule body 1 remains perfectly straight and retains its flatness after assembling the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. By "adjusted" is meant that a functional clearance, for example from 0.5 mm to 1 mm, may exist between the outer surface of the connector 2 and the inner surface of the butt ends 100a, 100b. This functional clearance allows easy positioning of the connectors 2 in the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d.

[33] According to one embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, one or more pads 220 of flexible material are arranged on one or more external walls of the connector 2 and/or on one or more internal walls of the abutment ends 100a. These pads can for example be made of rubber. Their thickness is for example between 0.5 mm and 5 mm. They are for example attached by gluing, interlocking or coating on the connector 2 and/or in the abutment ends 100a. When the connector 2 is pushed into an abutment end 100a, the pad(s) 220 deform so as to allow the insertion of said connector. Once connector 2 is installed in profile 10a, pad(s) 220 provide tight contact between the outer surface of connector 2 and the inner surface of abutment end 100a. This tight contact makes it possible to limit or eliminate the transverse, lateral and possibly longitudinal translation movements of the connector 2 in the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. This ensures that the rule body 1 remains perfectly straight and retains its flatness after assembly of the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, without the possibility of deformation in use.

[34] In Figures 4 to 7, a locking means 3 makes it possible to lock the connectors 2 in position in the abutment ends 100a so that said connectors and the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are linked together, without possibility of separation during the use of the mason's rule. The rule body 1 is then similar to a one-piece piece. This locking means 3 is provided at each abutment end. It can be in the form of one or more screws inserted from an outer wall of the profile 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and coming to put pressure on an outer wall of the connector 2. To separate the profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the connectors 2, it suffices to simply dismantle the screws 3. A hollow-head screw 3 is advantageously used so that it does not protrude from the outer surface of the profile 10a, which surface remains flat.

[35] According to an alternative embodiment, the locking means are in the form of magnets installed in the cavities of the abutment ends 100a, 100b. These magnets can for example be installed at the stops 20. They cooperate with the connectors 2 so as to provide a connection by magnetization. The transverse ends of the connectors 2 can in this case be made of ferromagnetic material or include magnets. To separate the sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d from the connectors 2, it suffices to pull said sections so as to break the bonds by magnetization.

[36] Profiles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and connectors 2 can be offered as a kit or separately. The kit can include profiles 10a, 10b,

10c, 10d of the same length and/or of different lengths so as to offer a wide choice of configurations.

[37] The arrangement of the various elements and/or means and/or steps of the invention, in the embodiments described above, should not be understood as requiring such an arrangement in all implementations. Other variants can be provided and in particular the connectors 2 can be configured to lock by wedging in the abutment ends 100a, 100b.

[38] Further, one or more features set forth only in one embodiment may be combined with one or more other features set forth only in another embodiment. Similarly, one or more features disclosed only in one embodiment may be generalized to other embodiments, even if such feature or features are described only in combination with other features.

Claims

[Claim 1] Mason's rule comprising a rule body (1) of parallelepipedal shape, characterized in that:

- the rule body (1) is modular, formed of at least two rigid sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) joined together,

- the sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d), of rectangular or square section with smooth and flat longitudinal and lateral faces, have hollow abutment ends (100a, 100b),

- the sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) are assembled together by means of a connector (2) which fits into the butt ends (100a, 100b) of said sections,

- the profiles (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) and the connector (2) are configured so that when said profiles are butted and assembled, their outer surfaces are flush, in which the connector (2) has grooves (200) adapted to engage in complementary grooves (120) provided in the abutment ends (100a, 100b).

[Claim 2] A mason's rule according to claim 1, comprising locking means (3) for locking the connector (2) in position in the abutment ends (100a, 100b).

[Claim 3] Mason's rule according to claim 1 or 2, in which the connector (2) is inserted into each section (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) over a length which is between 1/3 and 1/2 times the length of said section.

[Claim 4] Mason's rule according to one of the preceding claims, in which each profile (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) has a length of between 20 cm and 1 m.

[Claim 5] Mason's rule according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) have different lengths.

[Claim 6] Mason's rule according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) have the same length.

[Claim 7] Mason's rule according to one of the preceding claims, in which the connector (2) is made of aluminium. [Claim 8] Mason's rule according to one of the preceding claims, in which one or more pads (220) of flexible material are arranged on one or more external walls of the connector (2) and/or on one or more internal walls of the butt ends (100a, 100b). [Claim 9] Ready-to-assemble assembly to form the mason's rule according to one of the preceding claims, comprising:

- several profiles (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d),

- several connectors (2).