GB2167999A - Gauging device for use in tiling - Google Patents

Abstract

A rule member 10 is slidable in a body 12, which has means for preventing sliding such as resilient wings 22, 24 that can be held against it. The underside of the body 12 has locating means, e.g. a rib or blade 26, whereby it is locatable at the edge of a row of tiles. The rule member 10 can then be slid out to gauge the size of a required tile, then held against sliding (using the wings 22, 24) while the device is located with the blade 26 at the edge of a new tile. The distal edge 30, 32 of the rule member then indicates where the tile should be cut. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gauging device for use in tiling The present invention relates to a gauging device, e.g. for use in tiling.

One of the problems of tiling, e.g. for a bathroom wall, is that the last row of tiles to cover a desired area will almost certainly be less than the height of of a whole tile. Thus, the tiles have to be cut. In many buildings, particularly old ones, the ceiling is not at a uniform height above the level of the floor, so that each individual tile has to be specially tailored in order to fit into the space between the previous row of tiles and the ceiling.

Accurate measurement with a tape measure or use of a pair of calipers is laborious, and there is no easy and quick way the final row of tiles can be cut to size.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome partially or wholly the above problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a gauging device enabling the accurate location of an object which has to be cut before being fitted into a space, said measuring device comprising: a longitudinal rule member having a distal edge portion usable as a ruling or cutting guide; a body with which the rule member is engageable so as to be longitudinally movable; gripping means for preventing relative movement between the rule member and the body; and means for locating said body relative to the object.

Preferably said body has the form of a cursor or frame within which the rule member can slide.

The locating means preferably comprises a thin blade which projects from one side of the body and which is engageable on a surface of the object.

The distal edge portion of the rule may be stepped, to provide alternative guides, so that the measuring device can be used with an object, such as a tile, to be secured to a wall where filling material such as grout may or may not be used between adjacent rows of tiles.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of cutting an object to fit a space, comprising sliding the rule member relative to the cursor member of a said device so that its extent of projection corresponds to a dimension of the space; operating the gripping means to restrain sliding while locating the device on the object so that the distal edge portion of the rule member indicates a cutting line; and cutting the object at that line.

The present invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein: Figure 1 is a front elevation view of one preferred form of gauging device designed for use for sizing tiles to be cut; Figure 2 is a side elevation; Figure 3 is a rear elevation; and Figure 4 is an underneath plan view.

Referring to the drawing, the gauging device comprises a longitudinal rule member 10 and a cursor member 12, which fits over the rule member 10, the two members being longitudinally slidable relative to one another.

The cursor 12 comprises two pairs of parallel members 14, 16; and 18,20 which enclose a narrow rectangular slot in which the longitudinal rule member 10 can slide. A pair of flexible wing members 22 and 24 project from the bottom of the parallel side members 18 and 20 of the cursor 12.

They may be integrally formed with the respective side members which are preferably made of flexible plastics material.

Integrally formed at the back of the cursor 12 is a thin blade 26, the purpose of which is to locate the gauging device on top of a tile.

The upper or distal edge of the longitudinal rule member 10, has a stepped surface, one part 30 being marginally higher than the other part 32. The purpose of this upper stepped edge is to allow for two different cases, one where no grout is used between adjacent tiles and the other where a layer of grout is placed between adjacent tiles.

The purpose of the flexible wing members is to prevent the cursor and measuring rule moving relative to one another when the two wing members are squeezed together manually.

The use of the gauging device shown in the drawing will now be described with reference to cutting the uppermost row of ceramic tiles for a bathroom wall. Thus the gauging device is used once the last uncut row of tiles has been positioned on the wall. It is placed on the completed uppermost row of tiles with the blade 26 making contact with the top edge of a tile. The rule 10 is then slid upwards until it touches the ceiling of the room. The user then squeezes the wing members 22 and 24 together with thumb and forefinger, thus ensuring that the cursor 12 cannot move relative to the measuring rule 10. The gauging device is then removed from the wall and placed over a tile to be cut, with the blade 26 in contact with one edge of that tile.One of the upper edges 30 or 32 of the measuring rule 10 is then used to draw a line or mark on the tile to indicate the point at which a cut is to be made so that the tile can be snugly fitted into the space between the uppermost completed row and the ceiling. The edge 30 is used where no grouting is required between adjacent tiles, and the edge 32 is used where a layer of grouting is inserted. A cutting tool may be used directly, the edge portion 30 or 32 serving as a guide. Alternatively a line may be drawn or incised for subsequent completion.

It will often be the case that the final row of parttiles varies in height along its length. Thus it would not be appropriate to make just one or two measurements and then cut all the tiles the same. Indeed, there may be significant variation over the length of a single tile. On the illustrated device, the edge portions 30,32 extend for only a part of the side of a conventional tile. Thus the device can be used to determine an accurate shape for a tile in two or more steps. In this manner one can draw an accurate line across the tile where the cut is to be made, so that the cut upper edge will exactly match the contour of the top of the wall at ceiling level. The whole process is repeated for each tile in turn across the length of the wall or walls to be tiled.

The above described gauging device is equally applicable to tiling floor areas whether quarry or plastic tiles are used. Furthermore, it can be used for corners between walls or where there is a door joint or window frame around which one must tile.

It will be appreciated that the above described gauging device is relatively simple both to manufacture and to operate. Its use enables the do-ityourself amateur to make a professional job of tilting the walls or floor of a room.

There may be anti-slip means on the inner surface of one or both of the wing members 22,24 and/or on one or both of the side surfaces of the rule 10, to enhance the gripping effect. These could comprise teeth or friction surfaces.

The gripping means could be more elaborate than the flexible wing members, e.g. using cams.

These might be lockable in a gripping configuration, e.g. by over-centering.

In another alternative form the gripping means, suitably comprising non-slip pads, lightly grip the surface of the measuring rule all of the time, and thus prevent accidental relative movement between the cursor and the measuring rule. In this form a reasonable force must be used to overcome the gripping means in order to move the cursor relative to the measuring rule.

Claims (9)

1. A gauging device enabling the accurate location of an object which has to be cut before being fitted into a space, said device comprising: a longitudinal rule member having a distal edge portion usable as a ruling or cutting guide; a body with which the rule member is engageable so as to be longitudinally movable; gripping means for preventing relative movement between the rule member and the body; and means for locating said body relative to the object.

2. A gauging device according to claim 1 wherein the locating means comprises a projection on the body which is of small extent in the longitudinal direction of the device.

3. A gauging device according to claim 2 wherein the projection comprises a thin transverse blade which projects from one face of the body.

4. A gauging device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the distal edge portion of the rule is stepped, to provide alternative guides at different spacings from the locating means.

5. A gauging device according to any preceding claim wherein the gripping means comprise at least one wing portion of the body which is resiliently biased away from the rule member but is urgeable against it to hinder its movement relative to the body.

6. A gauging device according to any preceding claim wherein the gripping means comprise at least one portion of the body formed as a cam lock operable to act on the rule member to hinder its relative movement.

7. A gauging device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of cutting an object to fit a space by means of a gauging device according to any preceding claim, which method comprises using the locating means to locate the device adjacent the space; sliding the rule member relative to the body so that its extent of projection corresponds to a dimension of the space; operating the gripping means to restrain sliding while locating the device on the object, using the locating means, so that a distal edge portion of the rule member indicates a cutting line; and cutting the object at that line.

9. A method of cutting an object to fit a space substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.