Wall repair kit

Abstract

A wall repair kit including at least one tapered tap extending from a pair of wafer wings to provide rotational leverage to the threaded shank. An outer edge of each wafer wing forming a scraper blade. A tray having a plurality of preconditioned plugs constructed and arranged for insertion in a wall hole that has been formed with the tapered tap. Each plug is formed from a mixture of gypsum and adhesive. The kit providing the tools and plugs necessary to enlarge a wall hole allowing receipt of a plug for insertion into the hole and leveling the plug by removing excess material with a wafer wing.

Description

[0001] WALL REPAIR KIT

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The field of the invention is data collection and in particular a method of improving data collection by processing a dynamic area of interest on a camera providing faster frame per second and / or greater resolution for certain parts of the scene.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Residential and commercial properties use wall framing constructed from wood or aluminum studs. Plaster or drywall attached to the struts being the two common types of interior wall construction. Plaster walls are made of multiple layers of wet plaster made from lime, gypsum or cement based mixtures are known for their superior finish, common in homes built before the 1960s and in current luxury homes. Drywall consists of gypsum sandwiched between layers of paper, forming pre-made sheets that are fastened to the studs. Drywall has become the standard in modern homes and commercial buildings due to its cost-effectiveness and ease of installation.

[0006] Both residential and commercial properties benefit from artwork, mirrors, televisions, and the like objects that are fastened to the walls. Fasteners may consist of small nails for light objects or anchors and toggle bolts to support heavy objects.

[0007] When supporting heavy loads, the fastener goes through the drywall and may be secured directly to a stud. If no stud is aligned with the location of the object to be hung, an anchor or toggle bolts can be used to distribute the weightof the object to be positioned. Drywall mounted to aluminum studs are known to transfer the vibration of a door closing making it beneficial to use larger fasteners to support the objects should the door be slammed. Earthquake prone areas also use oversized fasteners to accommodate the unpredictable earth movements.

[0008] Anytime an object is fastened to a wall, the removal of the object and underlying fastener will leave a hole in the wall. Small nails will leave small holes, while drywall anchors can leave large holes. In either case, the holes need to be filled to restore the walls to their original condition.

[0009] Walls in need of repair typically result in the occupant trying to patch the hole once a fastener is removed. This is especially important for tenants that rent and have signed an agreement that they must return the unit in the same condition minus normal wear and tear. Holes in the walls are not considered normal wear and tear, so the tenant could lose their security deposit held for such instances. Further, the seller of a home would be best served to repair holes in the wall. A potential buyer can be easily discouraged by a wall full of holes.

[0010] For example, flat screen televisions are commonly mounted on walls. The anchor holes must be patched when the television is removed. The proper way to repair a hole is to remove the screw or anchor, clean the hole using a blade to remove loose drywall, fill the hole with spackling compound, spread the compound with a putty knife, allow the compound to dry (usually 1-2 hours ), sand the patch, prime and paint the patch. This technique requires a level of skill to ensure that the depth of the hole has been repaired as only the surface is being addressed. Furthermore, use of a spacklecompound tends to dry out and can harden and crack if not properly applied.

[0011] What is needed in the industry is a wall repair kit having all the components needed to repair a wall damaged from wall fasteners.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A wall repair kit comprising a preparation and application tool and a tray configured to hold a variety of filler materials that can be selectively activated at the time of use, the kit including: a tapered tap, which serves as a hole preparation tool, said tapered tap being integrally formed from a threaded shaft extending centrally between a pair of wafer-like wings. Each wafer wing is shaped to provide a broad, flat gripping surface, allowing a user to rotate the tapered tap by hand with sufficient mechanical advantage. The threading on the tapered tap is configured to engage and ream the interior of a hole in a wall surface, thereby cleaning, slightly enlarging, and shaping the hole to a desired geometry for repair. The outer radial edge of each wafer wing is sharpened or beveled to function as a scraper blade, allowing the wing to serve a secondary purpose of leveling or removing excess filler material after application. A storage tray, dimensioned and compartmentalized for holding the tapered tap and a plurality of preconditioned filler plugs. Each filler plug comprises a composite structure of wall repair filler material premixed or layered with an adhesive component, such that the plug remains inert during storage but can be easily activated at the time of installation. Activation may occur through mechanical compression, moisture exposure, temperature change, or other means depending on the plug composition, thepreconditioned plugs are configured to be directly inserted into holes that have been prepared using the tapered tap. Once the plug is inserted, the filler and adhesive within it expand or cure to bond within the hole and achieve a flush or slightly proud finish. The user may then use the wafer wing scraper blade to remove any excess material, achieving a smooth, finished surface in preparation for sanding, priming, or painting.

[0014] The method of use includes: Inserting the tapered tap into the wall defect and manually rotating it using the wafer wings to clean, shape, and slightly enlarge the hole; selecting an appropriate preconditioned plug and activating it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions; inserting the activated plug into the prepared hole, pressing firmly to seat the filler and adhesive; and removing any excess compound with the scraper edge of one of the wafer wings, thereby completing the wall repair process with minimal tools and high reliability.

[0015] An objective of the invention is to provide a kit for use in restoring the aesthetic appearance of a wall, which makes the space more visually appealing and prevents walls from looking worn out or neglected.

[0016] Another objective of the invention is to maintain the structural integrity of the wall by providing a repair process that extends the width of the wallboard.

[0017] Another objective of the invention is to provide an easy to use kit for renters wherein the renters can meet lease requirements by returning walls to their original condition so as avoid security deposit deductions.

[0018] Still another objective of the invention is to provide a fully equipped wall repair kit allowing a homeowner toincrease the value and marketability of a property wherein well maintained walls create a better first impression for potential buyers.

[0019] Yet still another objective of the invention is to provide a move out kit which contains various hole conditioners and plugs to repair various sized holes commonly found in dwellings that have been occupied.

[0020] Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

[0021] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a single tapered tap;

[0022] FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view thereof;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a side view of a duplex tapered tap;

[0024] FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view thereto;

[0025] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wall repair tray; FIG. 6 is a top view of the tray;

[0026] FIG. 7 is an end view of the tray with the cover closed; FIG. 8 is a side view of the tray with the cover open; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a plug;

[0027] FIG. 10 is a top view of a plug;

[0028] FIG. 11 is an end perspective view of dual tapered tap with an open cavity;

[0029] FIG. 12 is a side view of FIG. 11 with the open cavity invisible;FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG. 11 with the open cavity visible.

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Detailed embodiments of the instant invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representation basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1-2, illustrated is a tapered tap 10 of first embodiment. The tapered tap 10 is formed from a central body 12 having a first wafer wing 14 defined by a first inner edge 16 coupled to the central body 12 and extending outwardly to a first outer edge 18 with a first upper edge 20 spaced apart from a first lower edge 22 forming a first front side surface 24 and a first rear side surface 26. A second wafer wing 34 defined by a first inner edge 36 coupled to the central body 12 and extending outwardly to a second outer edge 38 with a second upper edge 40 spaced apart from a second lower edge 42 forming a second front side surface 44 and a second rear side surface 46.

[0033] The tapered tap 10 include a threaded shank 50 having a base 52 of a first diameter coupled to the central body 12 with a tapering sidewall 54 leading to a distal end 56 having a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter. The sidewall 54 having a cleaning thread 58 constructed and arranged to cut and clean a wall board hole in a predefined dimension for receipt of a plug.In this embodiment, a flat end 60 can be used to tap a plug into position.

[0034] The wafer wings 14, 34 have a large surface area that provide for ease of grasping for use in rotation of the threaded shank 50 for forming a particular shape within a wallboard for receipt of a preshaped plug. The distal end 56 of the threaded shank 50 is inserted into a hole left by a removed fastener, wherein the tapered tap 10 is rotated in the direction of the thread 58 which prepares a sized conical hole for receipt of a plug, further defined in this specification. Thread 58 providing a cutting action to enlarge the wallboard hole to match a pre-sized plug by removing unwanted material. Edges 22, 42 stop the extension 50 at the maximum insertion end and provide a scaping mechanism to ensure the surface of the wall board is clean. Once a plug is inserted into a finished hold, the taping end 60 can be used to further insert the plug to ensure contact is made throughout the prepared hole. The tapered tap 10 can then be grasped by a wafer wing 14, 34 wherein an outer edge 18, 38 is used to spread the remainder of the plug material to smooth the outer surface. The plug is sized to fully engage the sidewall of the plug hole with about 1mm extending from the plug hole allowing excess material for spreading of the filler. It should be noted that the conventional method of patching a wall hole is to spread compound over the hole which typically leaves a large excess of material around the hole which much be removed before painting. The Applicant's invention is designed to leave an amount of about 1mm of material which limits the amount of material spreading to the immediate plug area. In this arrangement, the wafer wing 14 and central body 12 can be grasped in one hand and the blade formed by the outer edge 38 of the opposing wafer wing 38operates as a putty knife for spreading the plug material that is not flush with the wallboard. This limits the amount of material that can be spread wherein little, or no sanding is required. Similarly, wafer wing 34 and central body 12 can be grasped in one hand and the blade formed by the outer edge 18 of the opposing wafer wing 14 can operate as the putty knife.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 3-4, illustrated is an alternative embodiment wherein the tapered tap 70 is formed from a central body 12 having a first wafer wing 14 and a second wafer wing 34. The tapered tap 70 include a threaded shank 50 having a base 52 of a first diameter coupled to the central body 12 with a tapering sidewall 54 leading to an distal end 56 having a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter forming a conical shape. The sidewall 54 having a cleaning thread 58 constructed and arranged to cut and clean a wall board hole in the exact dimension for receipt of a plug.

[0036] In this embodiment, tapered tap 70 includes a second threaded shank 80 having a base 82 of a first diameter coupled to the central body 12 with a tapering sidewall 84 leading to a distal end 86 having a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter forming the conical shape. The sidewall 84 having a cleaning thread 88 constructed and arranged to cut and clean a wall board hole in the exact dimension for receipt of a plug. To address a majority of applications, four different sized threaded shanks are contemplated so as to address most any sized wall hole. 1 / 4 inch, 3 / 8 inch, 1 / 2 inch and 3 / 4 inch meets most applications. The size of the plugs meet the size of the threaded shanks, various other sizes can be employed and considered within the scope of this invention.Referring to FIG. 5-8, depicted is a holding tray 90 formed from plastic having a plurality of 1 / 4 inch receptacles 92, 3 / 8 inch receptacles 94, 1 / 2 inch receptacle 96 and 3 / 4 inch receptacles 98. In one embodiment, the plastic forming the tray 90 is thin wall allowing each individual receptacle to be deformed from beneath tray for ease in expelling of a plug stored within the receptacle. The tray 90 includes a receptacle 100 for receipt of a taper tap. Recesses 102, 104 allow for ease of removal wherein an individual can insert their index finger grasp the tapered tap. A tray top 110 is hingedly coupled 112 to the tray 90 allowing for longer term storage. Tray top 110 includes a recess 114 conforming to a tapered tap 10 allowing for compact storage. The tray top 110 having an inner edge 116 constructed and arranged to frictionally engage an outer edge 118 of the tray 90. Tray indentations 120, 122 position the bottom of the tray 90 above a table surface to lessen temperature variations due to table top temperatures.

[0037] FIG 9 and 10 illustrate a plug 130 having a conical shaped side wall 132 leading to an insertion end 134. The plug 130 is constructed and arranged to fill an appropriately sized wall hole leaving an upper portion 136 of approximately 1mm outside the wallboard hole for use in blending the plug material with the wallboard. Once inserted the wafer edges of the tapered tap are used to engage the top surface 138 and spread the material through the upper portion 136 to blend into the area surrounding the hole. The plug is sized to tightly engage the hole formed by a threaded shank, the upper portion providing only enough material to bend the hole with the surrounding wall board providing a professional finish that requires little or no further preparation, such as sanding.The preconditioned plugs 130 are selected from the group comprising gypsum or limestone powder and the adhesive being a glue selected from the group comprising polyvinyl alcohol or dextrin. Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate, CaSO4-2H2O) or the like needing little or no moisture to rehydrate. Limestone Powder (Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3) can be used as an alternative but requires a binding agent. Polyvinyl Alcohol ( PVA) operates as a water-soluble binder and forms strong adhesion upon drying. Dextrin is an adhesive that dissolves in water and creates a sticky paste upon rehydration.

[0038] The mixture is compressed into pre-formed plugs of varied sizes, suitable for wall hole repairs. For instance, in an embodiment, a plug formulation would comprise: 70-85% Gypsum as a primary fill and hardening agent; 5-15% Polyvinyl Alcohol to operate as a binder for adhesion and provides flexibility; 5-10% water to form a workable paste in forming the plug; and 1-3% additives such as plasticizers or thickeners. The material can be colored to match the wall by use of synthetic polymer dyes. The preferred embodiment is white obtained by the addition of titanium dioxide (TiO2).

[0039] The plugs 130 are formed in the conical shape 132 to follow the shape of the tapered tap to fill a hole completely from the inner wall board surface to the outer wall board surface. With the small amount of material remaining, the wafer wings are used to spread the material over the edge of the hole. The wafer wing having sufficient flexibility to press the plug and spread the extending portion to provide a smooth surface. By use of a plug with a matching color, no painting is required. In one embodiment the color white, off white and beige anticipate most of the common wallboardcolors. Even if the color is nonstandard, such as blue, the amount of surface preparation and time of color is small.

[0040] Referring to FIG's 11-13, illustrated is another embodiment of a tapered tap 140 including a collection receptacle 142. The tapered tap 140 is again formed from a central body 143 having a first wafer wing 144 defined by a first inner edge 146 coupled to the central body 143 and extending outwardly to a first outer edge 148 forming a first front side surface 150 and a first rear side surface 152. A second wafer wing 154 defined by a first inner edge 156 coupled to the central body 146 and extending outwardly to a second outer edge 160 forming a second front side surface 154 and a second rear side surface 158.

[0041] The tapered tap 140 include a first threaded shank 170 having a base 172 of a first diameter coupled to the central body 143 with a tapering sidewall 174 leading to a distal end 176 having a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter. The sidewall 174 having a cleaning thread 178 constructed and arranged to cut and clean a wall board hole in a predefined dimension for receipt of a plug. In this embodiment, the receptacle 142 captures material as the threaded shank 170 is used to clean out a hole.

[0042] The wafer wings 150, 154 have a large surface area that provide for ease of grasping for use in rotation of the threaded shank 170 for forming a particular shape within a wallboard for receipt of a preshaped plug. If the hole is not fully conditioned by the first threaded shank, a second threaded shank 180 with cleaning thread 182 can be used to further prepare the hole to be filled. The receptacle 142 receiving material that is being removed directly into the receptacle or through an aperture 184.The threaded shanks 170 or 180 are inserted into a hole left by a removed fastener, wherein the tapered tap 140 is rotated in the direction of the thread which prepares a sized conical hole for receipt of a plug, further defined in this specification. The threads providing a cutting action to enlarge the wallboard hole to match a pre-sized plug by removing unwanted material. The plugs are sized to fully engage the sidewall of the plug hole with enough excess material for spreading of the filler. In this arrangement, the wafer wing operates as a putty knife for spreading the plug material that is not flush with the wallboard. This limits the amount of material that can be spread wherein little, or no sanding is required.

[0043] The terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising" ), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having" ), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including" ) and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing" ) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or device that "comprises, " "has, " " includes" or "contains" one or more steps or elements, possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of a device that "comprises, " "has, " "includes" or "contains" one or more features, possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

[0044] One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as thoseinherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures, and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A wall repair kit comprising:a tapered tap formed from base having at least one threaded shank and a pair of wafer wings extending outwardly therefrom, said wafer wings providing a surface to grasp for rotation of said threaded shank, each wafer wing having an outer edge forming a scraper blade; a tray constructed and arranged to receive said tapered tap and a plurality of preconditioned plugs formed from a filler and adhesive, said plugs constructed and arranged for insertion into a hole preconditioned by a threaded shank; wherein a hole is repaired by enlarging the width of said threaded shank, inserting a plug into the hole and removal of excess plug material with a wafer wing.

2. The wall repair kit according to Claim 1 wherein said plugs are selected from the group comprising gypsum or limestone powder and the adhesive selected from the group comprising polyvinyl alcohol or dextrin.

3. The wall repair kit according to Claim 1 wherein said tapered tap has spiral shaped cleaning threads to cause controlled enlargement of a hole and removal of excess wall material.

4. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein said plug is conical in shape and sized to fit within a hole formed by a tapered tap.

5. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein the activated plug expands within the hole forming a secure bond with the surrounding wall material.

6. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein said tray is constructed of a flexible plastic material and configured to receive a plurality of plugs, wherein the flexible plastic tray is deformable to facilitate removal of the plugs from the receptacles.

7. The wall repair kit of Claim 1 wherein said tapered tap is further defined as a first wafer wing extending laterally from the central body and having an outer edge forming a first scraper blade, a second wafer wing extending laterally from the central body in a direction opposite the first wafer wing, the second wafer wing having an outer edge forming a second scraper blade;said threaded shank extending from the central body and having a base with a first diameter tapering to a distal end with a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, the threaded shank having a sidewall with a thread configured to cut and clean a wallboard hole to a predefined conical dimension.

8. The wall repair kit of claim 1, wherein at least one outer edge of a wafer wing is flexible and configured to spread filler material flush to the surface of the wallboard.

9. The wall repair kit of claim 1, wherein at least one outer edge of a wafer wing is flexible and configured to spread filler material flush to the surface of the wallboard.

10. The wall repair kit of claim 1, wherein each said plug is conically shaped body having a sidewall extending from a tapered insertion end to a top surface; the sidewallconfigured to frictionally engage a wallboard hole prepared by a matching tapered threaded shank; an upper portion of the plug extending beyond the wallboard hole by approximately 1 mm;wherein the plug is composed of a compressed mixture comprising gypsum or limestone powder and a water-soluble adhesive selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and dextrin.

11. The wall repair kit of claim 9, wherein the adhesive is polyvinyl alcohol and the plug further comprises titanium dioxide for white coloration.

12. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein the plug formulation comprises 70-85% gypsum, 5-15% polyvinyl alcohol, 5-10% water, and 1-3% additives.

13. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein the tray includes deformable receptacles to assist with removal of plugs.

14. The wall repair kit of claim 1 wherein said tapered threaded shank is selected from the group consisting of 1 / 4 inch, 3 / 8 inch, 1 / 2 inch, and 3 / 4 inch diameters.

15. A method for repairing a hole in a wall using a wall repair kit, the method comprising:enlarging the hole with a tapered tap having a pair of wafer wings with an outer edge forming a scraper blade;activating a preconditioned plug wherein the plug comprises a filler and an adhesive;inserting the moistened plug into the hole; andleveling the plug by removing excess material using one of said wafer wings.

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