Abrading – Tool support for flexible-member tool – Contour-adjustable support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-03
2001-09-04
Banks, Derris H. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Tool support for flexible-member tool
Contour-adjustable support
C451S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283842
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to sanding apparatus for sanding flat surfaces and profiles such as architraves.
The fine detail and curvatures of such profiles make them awkward to sand, either manually or by machine. Where cost has not been an important factor it has been known to make a complementary or negative profile and then to use this as a sanding block to push a sheet of sand-paper into contact with the profile to be sanded. However this is not practical or economically realistic in most cases. Alternatively, the sand-paper may be folded to allow it to reach the bottom of the grooves in the profile, but this is time consuming and not particularly effective
There is therefore a need for a sanding apparatus which facilitates sanding of a profile, for example prior to painting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
British Published Patent Application 2 256 383A discloses an arrangement in which a number of sheets are mounted in a block. The sheets are moveable during an adjustment phase to allow them to shift relative to each other to conform to a required profile, whereafter the sheets are locked in this position by a clamp. There is also mention of a system in which the sheets are replaced by a deformable material and also an arrangement in which the sheets are made of a rubber type material. There is however no mention of an arrangement in which a number of parallel sheet elements are mounted side by side for relative movement against a resilient bias.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in one aspects this invention provides a sanding apparatus for sanding a profile such as an architrave, which apparatus comprises a main body portion, a plurality of parallel sheet elements mounted side by side in said body portion for relative movement to each other and said body portion against a resilient bias, with respective exposed edges of said sheet elements together defining a conformable abrasive surface.
The exposed edges of said sheet elements each define abrasive edge surfaces. Thus the sheets may carry an abrasive coating on the exposed edges or they may be made of a suitable matrix material such as a plastics or other tough but abradable material, incorporating abrasive particles.
The exposed edges are preferably rounded in cross-section instead of having sharp 90° edges, to reduce the possibility of producing a striped effect.
The lengths of the exposed edges of the sheet elements are preferably selected such that together they define a wedge shaped leading region to the abrasive surface when it is viewed in plan.
Preferably, said sheet elements are slidably received in an aperture in said main body portion. Said bias means may take many forms. In one particular arrangement, the bias means may comprise an element of resiliently compressible material such as a foam or sponge synthetic material in block or any other suitable form. Alternatively, the bias means may comprise a first elastically deformable component, for example of a foam or sponge material, and a load-spreading or equalising component such as a fluid or gel-filled sac, which acts to distribute the contact pressure substantially evenly between the sheet elements. In another arrangement, the load-spreading or equalising component may comprise a number of loose packed rods or rod-like elements capable of shifting with respect to each other to substantially equalise the pressure applied to the sheet elements.
The sanding apparatus may be designed for manual use or adapted for use with a power tool. In this latter embodiment, the apparatus and/or tool preferably includes means for oscillating said apparatus in a direction generally parallel to the direction of said sheet elements. For example, a power tool may include an outer guide element within which the main body portion is constrained to slide back and forth but not side to side. The body portion may be driven back and forth by a reciprocating mechanism similar to that used in a powered jigsaw, although many other mechanisms could be used.
In one embodiment of a power tool of this sort, the alternate sheets may be reciprocally driven in common, in antiphase to the intermediate sheets, to provide a dynamically balanced arrangement which ensures that a major portion of the vibratory effect is applied to the abrasive surface/workpiece interface with minimal vibrational energy being transmitted to the hand or structure supporting the tool.
Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 470794 (1892-03-01), Shempp
patent: 1062214 (1913-05-01), Bergman
patent: 1570177 (1926-01-01), Pointer
patent: 4206574 (1980-06-01), Dotsko
patent: 3808138 A1 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 02139177 (1990-05-01), None
patent: 0 635 335 A1 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 2 256 383 A (1992-12-01), None
Banks Derris H.
Young & Thompson
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