Reusable system for levelling tiles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reusable system for levelling tiles comprising a hood having a bottom surface (11), gripping means (12) and a threaded hole (13) for mounting a flange (2). The flange comprises a plastic body (2a) provided with a mounting stud (21) for mounting on a hood (1) and an indicator (24) for indicating the rotational position of the flange (2), and a metal insert (2b). The metal insert comprises a rod (25) inseparably connected to the body (2a) of the flange (2), side wings (27) forming the means for supporting the bottom surface of the tiles (B) to be levelled on the flange, and a notch (28), defined in an area next to the side wings (27) and provided to break the rod (25) by twisting.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Reusable system for leveling tiles.

[0003] Technical sector.

[0004] The invention relates to a reusable system for leveling tiles, applicable in the construction sector and more specifically in the placement and leveling of tiles.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] Currently, there are different tile leveling systems that facilitate the leveling of the upper surface of adjacent tiles, so that they are flush and coplanar.

[0007] A known type of tile leveling system comprises an actuating cap or bell provided with a lower support surface on the upper surface of the tiles to be leveled and a threaded hole in which a flange is mounted, which is situated between adjacent tiles and comprises a base disposed below said adjacent tiles; so that, when the actuating cap is turned, the lower surface of the cap acts against the upper surface of the tiles, pressing them against the base of the flange, thus leveling them.

[0008] Some leveling systems of the indicated type are disclosed in the documents: US2019093372 A1, US 9.322.185 B1 and US 9.279.259 B1.

[0009] In these tile leveling systems, the flange is made entirely of plastic material and has a recess or breaking zone above the base, which allows it to be broken once the material fixing the tiles to the floor has set, leaving this base lost, which prevents the reuse of the flange and leads to the incorporation of a large number of plastic bases in the floor.

[0010] Also known in the state of the art are leveling systems in which the flange comprises a plastic body provided with a stem for screw mounting of the bell and a metal insert fixed to the plastic body and having at its end lateral wings intended to be positioned below the tiles during installation.

[0011] These clamps can be reused by twisting them after the tiles have been leveled and before the tile adhesive sets. One problem with these clamps is that if they are not removed within this timeframe, the metal insert cannot be extracted, and forcing the clamp to twist it to remove the insert can cause the tile to break or detach.

[0012] An additional problem with these flanges with a metal insert is that during the use of the leveling system, the metal insert is hidden by the tiles themselves, and when turning the flange to align the wings of the insert and extract it through the space between the adjacent tiles, the operator cannot know the orientation direction of the wings of the insert, making its extraction difficult.

[0013] The technical problem posed is the development of a reusable tile leveling system, provided with a flange with a metal insert, which facilitates its use and reuse, and which allows for a clean installation in case the setting of the tile fixing product prevents the rotation of the wings of the metal insert and its extraction.

[0014] Explanation of the invention.

[0015] The reusable tile leveling system, the subject of the invention, is of the type comprising: a bell provided with a lower support surface on the upper surface of the tiles to be leveled, gripping means for its rotary drive, and a threaded hole for mounting a flange provided with a body of plastic material and a metal insert with side wings for supporting the lower surface of the tiles to be leveled.

[0016] The system of the invention comprises technical features that allow it to solve the problems described and achieve a series of objectives. A primary objective of the invention is to provide the plastic body of the clamp with a metal insert inseparable from said body, which gives the system a reusable character and, at the same time, allows its use in recovery scenarios where conventional plastic clamps have broken or could not be inserted during tile installation.

[0017] Another objective of the invention is to facilitate the manual grip of the flange to rotate it to an operational angular position or a position for extracting the metal insert, and to prevent its rotation during the tightening of the bell and the leveling of the tiles.

[0018] Another objective of the invention is to provide the metal insert with a notch designed for the torsional breakage of the metal insert and its separation from the lateral wings, in case the product used to fix the tiles to the floor has set and reached a hardness that prevents the flange from being turned to a position for extracting the metal insert through the space between the leveled tiles.

[0019] To achieve the proposed objectives, the flange of the system of the invention comprises a body of plastic material in which a metal insert suitable for acting against the lower surface of the tiles to be leveled is inseparably fixed.

[0020] The plastic body of the flange comprises a threaded mounting stud in the threaded hole of the bell, and at least one indicator of the flange's rotation position.

[0021] The metal insert of the flange comprises a rod aligned with and inseparably attached to the plastic body of the flange, preventing any movement. The lower end of this metal insert includes lateral wings that provide support for the underside of the tiles to be leveled.

[0022] These side wings are oriented in the same direction as the angular position or rotation indicator on the flange body. This allows the operator to determine the orientation of the insert's side wings, even though they are hidden by the tiles being leveled. The angular position indicator, defined on the plastic body and visible at all times during system use, can be observed. To easily remove the flange after the tiles have been installed and leveled, it is crucial to consider the setting time of the tile adhesive. In this case, it is recommended to remove the flange within 5 hours of installation to prevent the metal insert from becoming trapped under the tiles.

[0023] An essential feature of the invention is that the metal insert rod comprises, in an area near the side wings, a notch designed for the torsional breakage of said metal insert and which always remains below the surface of the tiles, acting as a stress concentrator.

[0024] If the metal insert becomes stuck and unable to rotate under the tiles due to the tile adhesive setting, simply apply torsional force to the flange, using your fingers or a tool, to completely sever the insert at the notch mentioned earlier, separating the side wings from the rod. This breakage eliminates the possibility of reusing the flange, but ensures a clean tile installation without the risk of the already leveled tiles shifting or becoming detached.

[0025] Brief description of the content of the drawings.

[0026] To complement the description being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included with this descriptive report in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0027] Figures 1 and 2 show perspective and elevation views of an example of the reusable tile leveling system according to the invention, with the bell mounted on the flange.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the flange.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an elevation view of the flange, sectioned by a longitudinal median plane.

[0030] Figures 5 and 6 show perspective and elevation views of the reusable tile fixing system in its intended position. Detailed description of embodiments of the invention.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the reusable tile leveling system comprises a bell (1) provided with a lower surface (11) of an annular configuration, gripping means (12) for its manual rotary operation and a threaded hole (13) for its screw mounting on the flange (2).

[0032] In the example shown, the gripping means (12) are made up of ribs defined between side windows of the bell (1), although they could have any configuration suitable for manually giving the bell a rotating movement.

[0033] As can be seen more clearly in Figures 3 and 4, the flange (2) comprises a body (2a) of plastic material and a metal insert (2b) aligned and fixed inseparably and without possibility of movement with respect to the aforementioned body (2a) of plastic material.

[0034] The flange body (2a) comprises a stud (21) suitable for threading into the threaded hole (13) of the bell (1); said stud 21 has at its upper end an extension (22) which, in the coupling position of the flange (2) with the bell (1), protrudes above the bell (1) facilitating manual gripping of the flange (2) to place it in a certain rotational position or to prevent such rotation.

[0035] The plastic body (2a) of the flange (2) comprises indicators (24) of the rotation position or angular position of the flange (2), which in the example shown are arranged in a thickening (23) defined at the lower end of the stud (21).

[0036] These indicators (24) consist of two appendages that protrude in opposite directions from the thickening (23), allowing them to be grasped with the fingers to apply a torsional force to the flange.

[0037] The metal insert (2b) of the flange (2) comprises a rod (25) aligned with the body (2a) of plastic material, said rod (25) comprising at its upper end a head (26) inseparably integrated into said body (2a), in this particular example in the thickening (23), and at its lower end two lateral wings (27), aligned and facing each other for the support of the lower surface of the tiles (B) to be leveled.

[0038] The aforementioned side wings (27) of the metal insert (2b) are oriented in the same direction as the indicators (24) of the flange's rotation position (2), so that, during the use of the leveling system, the user can know the orientation of the side wings (27) simply by observing the direction indicated by the indicators (24) which are kept in a visible position through the side openings or windows of the bell (1), even though the tiles to be leveled prevent the view of the metal insert (2b).

[0039] As can be seen in Figure 2, the rod (25) of the metal insert (2b) comprises in an area close to the lateral wings (27) a notch (28) provided for the torsional breakage of said metal insert (2b) in case the setting of the material fixing the tiles to the floor prevents the rotation of the lateral wings (27) to a position of release of the insert, through the space existing between the leveled tiles.

[0040] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the position of use of the reusable leveling system, the tiles (B) to be leveled are placed supported on the side wings (27) of the metal insert (2b) of the flange (2), and the bell (1) is screwed on, by means of the threaded hole (13), onto the stud (21) of the flange (2).

[0041] Holding the extension (22) with one hand, turn the flange (2) until the position indicators (24) and consequently the side wings (27) of the metal insert (2b) are facing the tiles (B) to be leveled; then turn the bell (1) with the other hand until its lower surface presses against the upper surface of the tiles (B), leveling them.

[0042] After some time has elapsed since the installation of the tiles (B) and before the tile fixing material has set, the bell is loosened and the flange (2) is turned until the side wings of the metal insert are aligned with the existing groove between the leveled tiles, retrieving the flange for use.

[0043] In case the setting of the fixing product prevents the rotation of the side wings (27) of the metal insert, it is enough to apply a suitable torsional force to the flange (2) to cause it to break at the notch (28), so that the side wings (27) are under the tiles (B) and the flange (2) is rendered useless, but still ensuring a clean installation by preventing the leveled tiles from breaking or moving.

[0044] Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is noted for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 02 July 2025 (02.07.2025) 1. Reusable system for leveling tiles; comprising: an actuating bell (1) comprising: a lower surface (11) for bearing on the upper surface of the tiles (B) to be leveled and gripping means (12) for its manual rotary actuation; - a strut (2) comprising a body (2a) of plastic material provided with a stud (21) and a metal insert (2b) inseparably attached to the body (2a) of plastic material, said metal insert comprising a rod (25) aligned with the body (2a) and having at its free end lateral wings (27) for supporting the tiles to be leveled; characterized in that the bell comprises a threaded hole (13) arranged centrally in its upper area; the body (2a) of the strut (2) is rotatable with respect to the bell by means of the stud (21) threaded into the threaded hole (13) of the bell (1);The body (2a) of the strut (2) comprises at least one indicator (24) of the rotational position of the strut (2) with respect to the bell (1), and said indicator (24) is kept in a visible and accessible position at all times through side windows of the bell (1); and the metal insert (2b) comprises in a zone of the rod (25) close to the side wings (27) a notch (28) provided for the torsional breakage of the metal insert, and the side wings (27) of said metal insert are oriented in the same direction as the indicator (24) of the rotational position of the strut.

2. Reusable system, according to claim 1, wherein the body (2a) of the strut (2) comprises at the upper end of the stud (21) an extension (22) that protrudes above the bell (1) and forms a manual gripping zone of the strut (2) to place it in a certain rotating position or prevent said rotation.

3. Reusable system, according to any preceding claim, wherein the indicators (24) of the rotation position or angular position of the strut (2) are arranged in a thickening (23) defined at the lower end of the stud (21).

4. Reusable system, according to claim 3, wherein the indicators (24) of the angular position or rotation of the strut (2) are constituted by two appendages that stand out in opposite directions of the thickening (23).

5. Reusable system, according to claim 3, wherein the rod (25) comprises at its upper end a head (26) inseparably integrated into the thickening (23) of the body (2a) of the strut.

6. Reusable system, according to claim 1, wherein the gripping means (12) are constituted by ribs defined between the side windows of the bell (1).

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