Breakable Cross-Shaped Tile Spacer for Uniform Levelling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laying tiles uniformly on a substrate with consistent spacing and levelling is challenging, requiring high skill and often resulting in imperfections due to uneven adhesive application and difficulty in achieving a flat surface.
Innovation Solution
A tile spacer with a base and a stem featuring a cross-shaped profile with recessed areas and breakable projections, allowing adaptation for use with two, three, or four tiles by removing projections, which minimizes interference and simplifies the spacing and levelling process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional tile spacer is used for four tiles, then it provides proper spacing and levelling for four tiles, but it cannot be used for two or three tiles requiring multiple spacer types
Solution Approach 1:
The tile spacer is divided into a base portion and a stem portion that can be separated. The stem includes projections that can be selectively removed by breaking them at predetermined fracture zones. This segmentation allows the same base to be used with different numbers of projections depending on whether 2, 3, or 4 tiles are being installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The tile spacer transitions from a static, fixed-configuration device to a dynamic, adaptable device. The projections can be removed based on the specific tiling scenario, allowing the spacer to dynamically adapt its configuration to match the number of tiles being installed (2, 3, or 4 tiles).
2Ease of operation
If projections extend from the stem surface, then they provide alignment corners for tile positioning, but residual material interferes with tile laying after projection removal
Solution Approach 1:
The projections are designed with predetermined fracture zones that anticipate future removal. The recessed areas are pre-formed at the locations where projections will be removed, preparing the space in advance to capture any residual material before it can interfere with tile laying. This preliminary preparation eliminates the harmful effect of residual material.
3Reliability
If multiple types of spacers are manufactured for different tile configurations, then each type is optimized for its specific use, but manufacturing complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single base design serves multiple functions by accommodating different numbers of tiles (2, 3, or 4) through the selective presence or removal of projections. This universal base eliminates the need to manufacture and stock multiple specialized spacer types, simplifying both production and inventory management while maintaining optimized performance for each configuration.
Data Source
Figure 1~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A tile spacer comprises a base (20) for engaging a bottom surface of tiles and a stem (30) projecting upwardly from the base. The stem comprises two oppositely facing surfaces and two projections (36, 38) extending in opposite directions from the surfaces so that the stem and the projections define a cross-shaped profile with corners for contacting corners of four tiles. At least one of the surfaces of the stem includes a recessed, i.e. set-back, area (44). The projections extend from the recessed areas. One or both projections can be removed from the stem by breaking the projection(s) so that the tile spacer can be used with four, three or two tiles depending on whether one or both projections is removed. The recessed areas confine any residual material of the projection(s) that is not removed when the projection(s) is broken at least substantially within the recessed area(s) and minimises or avoids altogether interference with laying tiles.