Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Including aperture
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-12
2001-05-15
Watkins, III, William P. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Including aperture
C428S063000, C428S131000, C428S138000, C428S134000, C428S343000, C428S041700, C428S041800, C052S514000, C052S514500, C156S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231949
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to repair materials and more particularly to a surface repair assembly including a non-metallic repair patch and a method for repairing a damaged portion of an exposed surface using the surface repair assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has long been a need in the art for inexpensive wall repair systems, which are relatively uncomplicated and which may be utilized by the non-professional, such as the homeowner. Various wall or surface repair systems that utilize a repair patch have been proposed as an option for repairing damaged portions of surfaces, such as holes in drywall material. These repair patches are designed so as to reinforce and position the curable repair materials, such as plaster or polymeric materials, that are applied to the surface being repaired.
While these repair patches have produced satisfactory results, certain repairs to non-planar, contoured structures have been rendered difficult because of the inability to form a correctly contoured matching surface for holding, positioning and reinforcing the repair materials. For instance, certain repair patches include a rigid plate which is formed from a metallic material. This type of repair patch cannot be deformed freely in all directions because the rigid plate is often formed from metal strip of a relatively thick gauge. In addition, certain grades of metallic strip or sheet which are used to form the rigid plate of the repair patch may be much more difficult to bend in certain directions. For example, it is well known that it is more difficult to bend a metal strip in a direction parallel to the direction in which the metal strip was rolled during processing. Therefore, while it may be possible to bend repair patches of this type in one direction to conform to a surface contour, it may be difficult to bend the repair patch in any number of directions in order to conform the repair patch to a highly contoured surface.
Repair patches consisting of a deformable mesh-like metallic sheet have been proposed as alternatives to repair patches including a rigid metallic plate. These repair patches are believed to be easier to contour to the shape of a surface being repaired and therefore, may be the repair material of choice in certain repair projects.
However, repair patches consisting of a deformable mesh-like metallic sheet do have certain drawbacks. For example, the use of metallic repair patches has rendered it difficult under certain circumstances to form a suitable surface finish after sanding. Specifically, if a user is not careful when sanding the cured repair compound that has been applied over a metallic repair patch, the cured repair compound may be abraded off of the metal surface in certain areas. The exposed metal is not readily smoothed and abraded by the sandpaper and therefore, the repair process must be started over, i.e., a fresh batch of curable repair compound must be applied over the metallic repair patch. If the repair patch were more easily abraded by sandpaper, it is possible that the exposed portion of repair patch could be sanded smooth with the remaining portion of cured repair compound.
In addition, many repair patches consisting of a deformable mesh-like metallic sheet have been unduly complicated in structure, and hence expensive to produce. For example, expanded metal structures have found use as a repair material. However, the manufacture of expanded metal involves a number of process steps which leads to a relatively high priced product.
Accordingly, in view of the shortcomings of the prior art repair patches, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and relatively uncomplicated surface repair assembly patch for applying on the surface of an interior wall having a hole therein to be repaired.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a surface repair assembly which will provide a smooth transition between the wall surface and that of the wall repair compound applied over the surface repair patch to complete the repair. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a surface repair assembly which includes a non-metallic surface repair patch that may be plastically deformed in any direction so that the patch may be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a surface repair assembly which includes a surface repair patch that may be easily cut by scissors or other means for fitting around a miscut switch plate or light fixture hole, or a pipe projecting from the wall surface to seal the wall.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention makes a significant contribution to the surface repair art by providing an improved surface repair assembly that satisfies the need for an inexpensive surface repair assembly which includes a non-metallic repair patch that can reinforce and position curable repair compound on a damaged portion of a surface. A surface repair assembly having the features of the present invention includes a surface repair patch and a curable surface repair compound.
The surface repair patch comprises a sheet which is formed from a plastically deformable inelastic polymeric material. The sheet has a first side and a second side, and a plurality of openings which extend from the first side to the second side of the sheet. The openings are arranged about the sheet so that a network of strips of polymeric material is formed, the strips being joined by an array of junctions. Each of the strips is capable of being plastically deformed in any direction so that the sheet may be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface being repaired. The sheet supports, positions, and reinforces the curable repair compound on the surface before the repair compound is cured. In one version of the invention, the second side of the repair patch includes an adhesive for affixing the patch to the surface to be repaired. Certain configurations of the repair patch have proven to be highly advantageous when used in the surface repair patch of the present invention. For instance, it is advantageous to design the patch so that the surface area of the polymeric material on the first side of the sheet of the repair patch is in the range of about 60% to about 95% of the area bounded by the periphery of the first side of the sheet. Various polymeric materials are suitable for forming the sheet of the repair patch such as polyolefins, polyvinyl resins, blends of cellulosic fibers, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.
The curable repair compound is applied to the first side of the sheet so that the curable repair compound covers the sheet and substantially fills up the plurality of openings. Examples of curable repair compounds useable with the surface repair patch include plaster of paris, gypsum material, spackling compound, joint compound, and fiberglass resin compound.
The present invention is also directed to a method of using a non-metallic surface repair patch together with a curable repair compound to repair a damaged portion of an exposed surface. The method involves selecting a repair patch of sufficient area to surround the damaged portion of the surface. The repair patch comprises a sheet formed from a plastically deformable inelastic polymeric material. The sheet has a first side, a second side, and a plurality of openings extending from the first side to the second side of the sheet. The openings are arranged about the sheet so that a network of strips of polymeric material is formed. Each of the strips is capable of being plastically deformed in any direction so that the sheet may be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface. After selecting a suitable repair patch, the repair patch is shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface and the patch is anchored to the surface so that the damaged portion of the surface is within the perimeter of the repair patch. A curable repair compound is then spread over the repair patch so as to cover the re
Baker & McKenzie
PRO Patch Systems, Inc.
Watkins III William P.
LandOfFree
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