Micro Injection Needle Assembly for Narrow Flooring Gap Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for repairing separated flooring materials from subfloors, such as concrete slabs, often require removal and replacement of flooring, which is difficult or impossible, and existing adhesive injection systems are inefficient for very narrow or no grout line applications.
Innovation Solution
A micro injection flooring repair assembly and method using a slender, blunt-tipped needle and adapter system to deliver adhesive directly between flooring and subfloor through narrow spaces, allowing for precise and efficient reattachment without removing the flooring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a liquid adhesive is delivered between flooring material and subfloor via drilled holes, then the flooring material can be adhered to the subfloor without removal, but the wider injection nozzle tip (approximately 1/8-inch diameter) prevents efficient use in very narrow or no grout line applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the nozzle tip diameter from approximately 1/8-inch in prior art to a micro injection nozzle with diameter of 0.002 to 0.006 inches. This parameter change enables the adhesive injection system to effectively reach into very narrow grout lines and tight spaces where the larger nozzle would be incompatible, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adaptability to narrow applications.
2Ease of repair
If traditional repair methods are used, then flooring material can be reinstalled, but the flooring material must be removed from the subfloor which is difficult or impossible when matching replacement is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by injecting adhesive into the space between the existing flooring material and subfloor before any removal or replacement occurs. This preliminary adhesive injection allows the flooring to be reattached in place, eliminating the need for removal and subsequent replacement, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of repair and difficulty of finding matching replacement material.
3Quantity of substance
If a wider injection nozzle is used, then adhesive can be delivered effectively, but the assembly cannot be used in very narrow or no grout line applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the nozzle tip diameter parameter from a wider 1/8-inch to a micro-scale 0.002 to 0.006 inches. This parameter change enables the system to deliver adhesive efficiently into very narrow grout lines and tight spaces where the larger nozzle would be incompatible, thereby resolving the contradiction between adhesive delivery efficiency and adaptability to narrow spaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient repair of loose or separated flooring materials in tight spaces by providing a precise and durable application of adhesive, maintaining the flooring in place and preventing damage.
Implementation Method 1
The needle member can have a distal end, and can define a needle channel spanning from the distal end to the first end of the hub, wherein the needle channel is in fluid communication with the internal channel
Data Source
AI summary
A micro injection assembly for the repair of floors that includes an adapter body operably configured to couple with a tube having adhesive and defining an internal channel, a hub selectively removably coupled to the adapter body and having a rigid needle member coupled thereto and recessed within the hub, wherein the rigid needle member projects outwardly from the second end of the hub in a linear orientation, has a blunt distal end, and defines a needle channel spanning the length of the needle member. The assembly also includes a cap selectively removably couplable to the adapter body in a watertight configuration and with the cap disposable in an overlapping configuration with the adapter body. The assembly is operable to effectuate emission of an adhesive material from a tube through the adapter body, hub, and needle member to spaces between a flooring material and subfloor.