Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Utilizing transitory attached element or associated separate...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2001-06-12
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Utilizing transitory attached element or associated separate...
C029S446000, C029S449000, C029S523000, C029S527100, C249S177000, C264S299000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243935
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
None
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to solid surfaces (SS's) or sold surface work surfaces, and more particularly to SS's configured from self-supporting modules.
Solid surfaces, as such term is used in this field, generally are materials which do not require a separate finished surface, are uniformly colored, and are free of porosity. A homogeneous solid sheet of material can be used in a variety of applications due to their durability, such as, for example, kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, shower walls, windowsills, tables, desks, and urinal dividers. SS's were popularized under the trademark CORIAN® as described in expired U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,865.
Referring to
FIGS. 2 and 3
of the drawings, solid surface work surfaces have previously been manufactured by fabricating sheets of SS. For example,
FIG. 2
shows a cross-section of kitchen cabinet/countertop structure
20
having an main countertop
30
that is fabricated from a sheet of, for example, CORIAN® material. Cabinet/countertop structure
20
is formed from cabinet
24
, which is made from cabinet walls
26
and cabinet door
28
, and main countertop
30
, which surmounts cabinet
24
and is formed from main countertop
30
, back splash
32
, and one or more border pieces
34
.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, the CORIAN® SS used to fabricate the work surface
22
is manufactured in continuous sheets, such as sheet
36
. These sheets usually are cut or molded into sections twelve feet in length and purchased by fabricators. The fabricator then divides the sheet into three sections. First section
38
is used as main countertop
30
. Second section
40
is used as back splash
32
. Third section
42
is used as border pieces
34
affixed to the front and sides of countertop
30
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the completed cabinet/countertop structure
20
is placed on supports
44
and then mounted atop cabinet
24
.
Sheet
36
in
FIG. 3
is laid out and cut to the desired shape of the countertop to be installed. Back splash
32
and border pieces
34
, if used, are adhesively joined together with main countertop
30
then cured typically for 30 minutes and as long as 3 hours in cold weather, i.e., curing time is temperature dependant. The resulting joint typically is “seamless”. Following curing, supports
44
are attached to the underside of countertop
30
to support cabinet/countertop structure
20
atop cabinet
24
. Without supports
44
, main countertop
30
will sag over time and with use. Thus, the prior art SS depicted in
FIGS. 2 and 3
is not “self-supporting”. That is, braces or supports are required to support the weight of countertop
30
across its length and width and to support pressure applied to countertop
30
during its use, e.g., cutting foods, weights of appliances stored thereon, and the like.
The design and installation of prior art SS's, such as described above, is a time consuming and a labor consuming process that includes, inter alia, cutting, fitting, gluing, drying time, and trimming off of excess edging. The gluing process also can cause flaws and/or weaken the finished product, which will result in cracking of the SS, if this operation is not performed in a very precise manner. Many precautions are required in order to properly adhere or glue SS pieces together, such as, for example, corner support blocks, extra material, special colored gluing kits, wood backing, just to name but a few labor of the intensive gluing techniques that are required to be employed in order to make a seamless, yet strong, SS joint. Then, too, the technicians installing the SS's must be trained in these labor-intensive operations. These installation operations with their attendant time make up a significant percentage of the ultimate cost to the consumer that purchases such SS countertops. Many of these consumers are homeowners who would greatly desire cost reductions, if possible. In fact, even the installers would like to reduce their costs by having a much less labor intensive SS system.
SS countertops have also been custom molded by creating unique molds for that particular size and shape cabinet space. These custom countertops, however, pose another problem. They must be specifically fabricated to fit the size and shape of a given location. They cannot be manufactured in generic modules off-site and pieced together on-site, but rather must be specifically designed to fit the particular cabinets or other structures for which they will be used and, although unwieldy, transported to the site intact. Such custom molded SS countertops generally are even more expensive than those described above.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to SS modules adaptable for on-site configuration into variably sized and shaped work surfaces. This method for making a self-supporting work surface module adaptable for mounting onto a cabinet starts with obtaining a mold and selecting one or more plugs from an inventory of plugs of different lengths and widths. The selected plugs are placed into the mold for forming spaces between the mold and the plugs. These spaces define a work surface of predetermined thickness, an integral brace portion, and an integral edge portion. At least one of the brace portion or the edge portion is thicker than the thickness of the work surface and is mountable on a cabinet for providing a self-supporting characteristic to the module work surface when the work surface module is mounted on a cabinet. The spaces then are filled with balanced moldable material and solid filler mix that is permitted to at least partially cure to form the module. Finally, the module is removed from the mold prior to shrinkage. The manufacturing process then can be continued with other plug and mold combinations to form other work surface modules of different sizes and shapes.
These SS modules, if required, then can be combined with each other to configure on-site a work surface of desired size and shape. Because the brace and edge portions of the SS modules are integrally molded together with the SS module during manufacture of the modules off-site, there is no labor cost for fabricating, cutting, gluing, and waiting time these support brace and edge portions to the SS modules as they are being configured into a work surface on-site. The size and location of the support braces in the mold during manufacture of the modules conforms to the shape of a cabinet on-site so that the SS modules are self-supporting, i.e., no additional bracing or supports are required for the SS modules to be supported, for example, on a cabinet.
The SS work surface includes a first self-supporting module having a surface of predetermined appearance finish, size, and shape and also includes a sufficiently strong, integrally-molded first brace portion to provide the first module with self-support and an integrally molded first edge portion having the predetermined appearance finish, and further includes a second self-supporting module having a surface of predetermined appearance finish, size and shape which also includes a sufficiently strong, integrally molded second brace portion to provide the second module with self-support and an integrally molded second edge portion having the predetermined appearance finish. The first and second self-supporting modules cooperate with each other to form the predetermined configuration and appearance finish of the work surface by forming a continuous edge portion and appearance finish with the first and second edge portions and by adapting the first and second brace portions for supporting the work surface on the cabinet. The size and shape of the second self-supporting module may be different from the size and shape of the first self-supporting module.
A self-supporting, solid surface (SS) work surface adapted to be installed atop a support structure is manufactured from two or more modules that are joined together to form a visually single SS work surface. Each module includes a centrally-d
Etura Premiere, LLC
Hong John C.
Hughes S. Thomas
Mueller and Smith LPA
LandOfFree
Modular work surface and method for making same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Modular work surface and method for making same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Modular work surface and method for making same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2455723