Attract surfacing, magnet assisted wall surface installation method and system

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This invention relates to a method and a system for attaching wall surfacing panels onto a flat wall, in which magnetic elements and magnetic force are applied, so that the wall surfacing panel is repositionable during installation and completely removable after installation.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wall surface installation method, particularly to an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation method, in which magnetic elements and magnetic force are applied, so that the surface construction, e.g., wall-surfacing panel or large tile, is re-positionable during installation and completely removable after installation.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventionally, during the installation of thin wall surfacing panels, such as large tiles, onto an interior wall of a construction for interior decoration, large tiles are normally installed onto the wall with mortar or grout, especially with a conventional “thin-set (thin-bed) mortars,” because significantly thinner and lighter applications of mortar, typically and approximately ⅛″ (3 mm) to ½″ (12 mm), can be made to set the large tile. Typically, the mortar is applied on an inner surface of the large tile, so that the large tile directly and firmly adheres onto the wall.

During the installation of the large tiles onto a vertical wall, no matter how fast the mortar is cured to set the large tile, the large tile can hardly be exactly positioned in place before the mortar is cured, because the large tile would slowly slide downward along the wall due to gravity force exerting thereon. During the installation operation, if a large tile is not exactly placed at a desired location on wall, the large tile cannot be easily repositioned for adjusting its location, because the mortar as applied is tacky and sticky, rendering that the large tile cannot be easily moved.

Once the mortar is cured to set the large tiles on the wall, it is almost impossible to remove the large tile from the wall without damaging the large tiles, because the bonding of the cured mortar is strong and located between the large tile and the wall where not accessible by an operator. Even if an operator does not care whether the large tiles would be damaged during the removal operation of the large tile from the wall, the removal operation of the large tiles from the wall is very difficult, because the operator has to smash and crack large tiles into pieces for removal of them from the wall. During the removal operation of large tiles, the pieces of the cracked and broken large tiles that fall onto a floor below the working place might damage the floor, especially a wooden floor without any protection. In addition, after large tiles are removed from the wall, a laborious clean-up work is required to collect and dispose of the cracked and broken large tile pieces. It is also a troublesome problem to handle the trash of the broken pieces of the removed large tiles. The conventional method and system for installing large tile on a wall as described above yield the defeats as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation method, in which magnetic elements and magnetic force are applied, so that the surfacing construction is re-positionable during installation and completely removable after installation, without damaging the surfacing construction. The method of the present invention primarily comprises the following steps:

    • (A) providing a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels, each having an inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least three edges located between the inner and outer surfaces;
    • (B) adhering a plurality of thin and soft magnets onto the inner surface of the wall-surfacing panel by adhesive;
    • (C) detachably attaching a plurality of thin and soft magnetic attractive members on the thin and soft magnets by magnetic force, each of the magnetically attractive members comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the magnetically attractive member magnetically compresses against the soft magnet, and is coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
    • (D) providing at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel, in which the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener comprises a first member and a second member detachably engaging with the first member; the first member having a back for adhering on the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel, and the second member having a back for adhering onto a flat wall and being coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
    • (E) removing the releasable protection films from the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener, and pushing and attaching the wall surfacing panels onto a flat wall, so that the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener are securely adhered on the flat wall, and the wall surfacing panels are detachably attached on the wall by magnetic force between the thin magnet and the magnetically attractive member, and an engagement force between the first and second members of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener; and
    • (F) adhering the wall surfacing panels onto the flat wall by filling caulking sealant along a gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall-surfacing panels.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an attract surfacing, magnet assisted wall surface installation system, comprising:

    • a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels, each having an inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least three edges located between the inner and outer surfaces;
    • a plurality of thin and soft magnets for adhering onto the inner surface of the wall-surfacing panel by adhesive;
    • a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members for detachably attaching on the thin and soft magnets by magnetic force, each of the magnetically attractive members comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the magnetically attractive member magnetically compresses against the magnet, and is coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
    • at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener to be disposed at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel, in which the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener comprises a first member and a second member detachably engaging with the first member; the first member having a back for adhering on the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel, and the second member having a back for adhering onto a flat wall and being coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film; and
    • caulking sealant for filling and sealing the edge of the wall-surfacing panel or along a gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall-surfacing panels.

Additional objects, advantages, construction, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation system according to present invention;

FIG. 1B is a schematic view illustrating that the caulking sealant is applied along the edge of the large tile or along the gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent large tiles;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the primary steps of an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation method according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the steps of providing a thin and flat wall surfacing panel, a plurality of thin and soft magnets, and a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members, 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fasteners, and a tube of caulking sealant;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the operation of wiping and cleaning the large tile back with a lightly damped cloth;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the operation of using a lightly damped cloth to wipe and clean wall surface to make sure there is no grease on the wall;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the operation of using a blow dryer to dry the large tile back;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the operation of attaching the soft magnets onto the large tile back;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the operation of attaching a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members on the soft magnets;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the operation of attaching a 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the operation of attaching the magnetically attractive members and the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) onto a wall;

FIG. 11 is schematic view showing the operation of using hands to press the locations where soft magnetically attractive members are installed;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the operation of using hands to press the spot where the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener is installed;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing the operation of detaching the large tile from the wall to allow the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener and the magnetically attractive members to stay on the wall;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing the operation of using a sucking cup to pull the large tile outward;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing the preferred locations of the magnetically attractive members relative to the large tile back;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing the operation of installing magnet spacers between two adjacent edges of two adjacent large tiles for forming a regular, uniform gap;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing the operation of re-positioning the large tile on the wall;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing the operating of using four magnet spacers to form a cross spacer at the corners where four large tiles meet;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing the operation of installing masking tape along the edges of the large tile to prepare for gap caulking;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing the operation of filling up the gap with caulking sealant;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing the operation of using a caulking finger to smooth the caulking sealant along the gap and pushing the residue to the masking tape;

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the operation of peeling off the masking tape; and

FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing the operation of using a knife to cut the cured caulking sealant along the edge of the large tile or along the gap between two adjacent large tiles.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a preferred embodiment of an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation system for installing wall surface panel, e.g., ceramic or plywood large tile, according to the present invention primarily comprises: a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels (1) (e.g., large tiles), a plurality of thin and soft magnets (2), a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members (3), at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4), and a tube of caulking sealant (e.g., silicone glue) (5) for sealing and caulking the wall surfacing panel (1) onto the wall.

The thin and flat wall-surfacing panel (1) can be a large tile or other thin and flat wall-surfacing panel made of flexible or rigid material. In the embodiment, the wall-surfacing panel is a rectangular large tile (1) having an inner surface (11), an outer surface (12) opposite to the inner surface (1) and four edges (13) defined between the inner surface (11) and the outer surface (12).

The thin and soft magnets (2) are, for example, thin polymer sheets that are magnetized, which are flexible and ferromagnetic, and commonly known as a magnetic element for attaching paper note onto a refrigerator. The soft magnets (2) are provided for adhering onto the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1) by adhesive or glue. Preferably, the soft magnet (2) is provided with an adhesive backing (not shown) covered with a releasable protection film (not shown), so that when the releasable protection film is peeled off, and the soft magnet (2) can be readily and directly adhered on the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1). In this embodiment, five soft magnets (2) are arranged at four corners and the center of the inner surface (11) of the rectangular large tile (1).

The thin and soft magnetically attractive members (3) are made of, for example, a polymer sheet containing 75% iron particles, which can be magnetically attracted by the soft magnet (2). The magnetically attractive members (3) are detachably attached on the soft magnets (2) by magnetic force. Each of the magnetically attractive members (3) comprises an inner surface (31) and an outer surface (32) opposite to the inner surface (31), wherein the outer surface (32) of the magnetically attractive member (3) is provided for magnetically compressing against the magnet (2), and the outer surface (32) of the magnetically attractive member (3) is coated with a layer of adhesive backing (not shown) which is covered with a releasable protection film (not shown). When the releasable protection film is peeled off, the outer surface (32) of the magnetically attractive members (3) can be readily and directly adhered on a wall (not shown).

The 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) is a commercial product commonly known and available in marketplace, which need not be redundantly described herein. Basically, the Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) comprises a first member (41) and a second member (42), each having an engaging surface (411, 421) and a back surface (412, 422). The engaging surfaces (411, 421) of the first and second members (41) and (42) are adapted to detachably and reclosably engage each other. The back surface (412) of the first member (41) is adhered at an upper portion of the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1). The back surface (422) of the second member (42) is provided for adhering on a wall by adhesive. Preferably, the back surfaces (412, 422) of the first and second members (41, 42) are provided with an adhesive backing (not shown) covered with a releasable protection film (not shown), so that the first and second members (41, 42) of the reclosable fastener (4) can be readily adhered to the inner surface of the large tile (1) and the wall, when the releasable protection films are peeled off.

The caulking sealant (5) is preferably a silicone sealant that has long been commonly applied for sealing and installing glass panels on aluminum window frame or the like. The silicone glue (5) is provided for sealing along the edges of the large tiles (1) or a gap between two adjacent large tiles (1), but is not applied for bonding the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1) onto the wall. When the silicone glue (5) is cured, it can be easily cut and separated from the large tile by a knife (not shown).

Due to the provision and arrangement of the soft magnets (2) and the magnetically attractive members (3), the large tile (1) can be firmly maintained in place on the wall, before applying the silicone glue (5) along the edges of the large tile (1), or before the silicone glue (5) applied along the edge of the large tile (1) being cured.

In addition, due to the provision and arrangement of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) disposed at the upper portion of the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1), the large tile (1) can be further firmly maintained in place on the wall, before the silicone glue (5) is applied along the edges of the large tile (1), or before the silicone glue (5) applied along the edge of the large tile (1) is cured.

Since the soft magnets (2) and the magnetically attractive members (3) separably engage each other by magnetic force, and the first and second members (41) and (42) separably engage each other, the large tile (1), when attached on the wall before applying the silicone glue along the edge of the large tile, can be easily removed by pulling a lower portion of the large tile (1) outwardly away from the wall.

When the removed large tile (1) is moved toward the wall adhered with the magnetically attractive members (3) and the second member (42) of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4), it can be easily repositioned on the wall for adjusting the location of the large tile to be installed.

When the silicone glue (5) is applied along the edge of the large tile (1) and is cured, the large tile (1) is firmly and securely installed on the wall. If an operator intends to remove the large tile (1) from wall, he may apply a knife to cut the cured silicone glue (5) along the edge of the large tile (1). Once the cured silicone glue (5) is cut and separated, the operator may apply a sucking cup (not shown) to pull the lower portion of the large tile outwardly against the magnetic force between the soft magnets (2) and the magnetically attractive members (3) and against the engagement force of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4), so as to completely remove the large tile (1) from the wall without damaging the large tile (1). Since the large tile (1) is completely removed without damage, it can be re-used for interior decoration in other places.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an attract surfacing, magnetic assisted wall surface installation method for installing wall surface panel, e.g., large tile, primarily comprises the following steps:

    • (A) providing a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels, each having an inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least three edges located between the inner and outer surfaces;
    • (B) adhering a plurality of thin and soft magnets onto the inner surface of the wall-surfacing panel by adhesive;
    • (C) detachably attaching a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members on the thin and soft magnets by magnetic force, each of the magnetically attractive members comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the magnetically attractive member magnetically compresses against the magnet, and is coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
    • (D) providing at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel, in which the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener comprises a first member and a second member detachably engaging with the first member; the first member having a back for adhering on the inner surface of the wall surfacing, and the second member having a back for adhering onto a flat wall and being coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
    • (E) removing the releasable protection films from the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener, and pushing and attaching the wall surfacing panels onto a flat wall, so that the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener are securely adhered on the flat wall, and the wall surfacing panels are detachably attach on the wall by magnetic force between the thin magnet and the magnetically attractive member, and an engagement force between the first and second members of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener; and
    • (F) adhering the wall-surfacing panel onto the flat wall by filling adhesive along a gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall-surfacing panels.

FIGS. 3 through 23 schematically illustrates the detailed operational steps of the wall surface installation method of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first step is to provide a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels or large tiles (e.g., large tiles) (1), a plurality of thin and soft magnets (2), a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members (3), at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4), and a tube of caulking sealant (e.g., silicone glue) (5) for caulking the wall surfacing panel (1) on a wall.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, before installing the large tile (1) on a wall (w), it is preferable that the tile back (11) and the wall (w) are wiped and cleaned with a lightly damped cloth.

Referring to FIG. 6, after the tile back (11) being cleaned by the lightly damped cloth, the tile back (11) is preferably dried by a blow dryer (6).

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the operation step of adhering the soft magnets (2) on the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1). The soft magnet (2) is preferably provided with a self-adhesive backing (21) covered with a releasable protection film (22). When the protection film (22) is peeled off, an operator may directly adhere the soft magnets (2) at four corners and the center of the inner surface (tile back 11) of the large tile (1).

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the operation step for installing the magnetically attractive members (3) on the large tile (1). With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the magnetically attractive member (3) comprises an inner surface (32) and an outer surface (31) opposite the inner surface (32). When the operator places the magnetically attractive members (3) on the soft magnets (2), the magnetically attractive members (3) are automatically attracted to the soft magnets (2). The magnetically attractive member (3) is provided, at the inner surface (32) (see FIG. 1A) opposite an outer surface (31) thereof for contacting with the soft magnet (2), with a self-adhesive backing (33) covered with a releasable protection film (34). When the operator peels off the protection film (34), the magnetically attractive member (3) is ready for being adhered onto a wall.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the operation of installing a 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) at an upper portion of the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1). Referring to FIG. 1A, the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) comprises a first member (41) and a second member (42), each having an engaging surface (411, 421) and a back surface (412, 422). The engaging surfaces (411, 412) of the first and second members (41, 42) are adapted to reclosably and detachably engage each other. The back surfaces (412, 422) are coated with adhesive, which are covered by releasable protection film (413, 423) and are ready for adhering when the protection films (413, 423) are removed. Firstly, the first and second members (41, 42) engage each other by their engaging surfaces (411, 421), and then the back surface (412) of the first member (41) is adhered at an upper portion of the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1).

FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the operation of attaching the magnetically attractive members (3) and the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) onto a wall. When the protection films (34) of the magnetically attractive members (3) as shown in FIG. 8 are peeled off, and the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) is installed on the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1) with the protection film (432) peeled off (see FIG. 9), the operator may flip the tile back (11) toward the wall (W), so that the adhesive (33) on the magnetically attractive members (3) and the adhesive (424) on the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) directly adhere on the wall surface (W).

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the operator may use his hands to press the locations where the soft magnets (3) (see FIG. 1A) are installed and to press the spot where the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) is installed, so as to assure that the magnetically attractive members (3) and the second member (42) of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) are firmly adhered on the wall (W).

With reference to FIG. 13, when the thin and soft magnetically attractive members (3) and the second member (42) of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) are firmly adhered on the wall, the operator may pull a lower portion of the large tile (1) outward away from the wall (1) to allow the magnetically attractive members (3) and the second member (42) of the Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener (4) to stay on the wall (W). As illustrated in FIG. 14, the operator may apply a sucking cup (7) to assist him to pull out the large tile (1).

With reference to FIG. 15, the soft and thin magnetically attractive members (3) are preferably arranged at four corners of the inner surface (11) of the large tile (1), with a small projection (35) approximately of 3/16″, relative to the edge (13) of the large tile (1), so that the projection (35) will appear in a gap (14) formed between two edges (13) of two adjacent large tile (1).

With reference to FIG. 16, two magnet spacers (8) are inserted between two adjacent edges of two adjacent tiles (1), so as to form a regular, uniform gap (14) to be filled with caulking sealant (5). When the magnet spacers (8) are inserted at the corner of the large tile (1), it will automatically stick to the projection (35) of the magnetically attractive member (3), and will not incidentally fall down during the positioning operation of the large tile on wall.

FIG. 17 schematically illustrates the operation of repositioning the large tile on the wall. When the magnetically attractive members (3) and the Dual Lock reclosable fastener (4) are adhered on the wall, the operator should make sure that the magnet spacers (8) are sitting on the edge of a floor (not shown) or on the edge of the previous installed large tile (see FIG. 16). The magnet spacer (8) will stay in place because it is held by the magnetically attractive member (3) magnetically. The operator then let the bottom edge of the large tile (1) sit on the spacer (8) and then push the large tile (1) onto the wall (W). The magnetically attractive members (3) and the Dual Lock reclosable fastener (4) adhering on the wall will maintain the large tile (1) on the wall. During this period, the location of the large tile can be easily adjusted.

Referring to FIG. 18, four magnet spacers (8) can be used to form a cross spacer for corners where four large tiles meet. When the large tile (1) is correctly positioned on the wall, the magnet spacers (8) can be easily removed.

Referring to FIG. 19, the operator may install a masking tape (9) along the edges of the large tiles to prepare for joint caulking.

FIG. 20 schematically illustrates the operation of filling up the gap between two adjacent large tiles (1) with silicone sealant (5). To improve the distribution of the silicone sealant (5), the operator may use a caulking finger to smooth the joint and push the residue to masking tape (see FIG. 21).

Referring to FIG. 22, when the silicone sealant (5) is cured to set the large tiles (1) on the wall, the operator may peel off the masking tape (9) and complete the installation of the large tile.

Referring to FIG. 23, if the operator intends to remove or un-install the large tiles already installed on the wall, he may applies a knife (S) to cut the cured silicone (5) set along the edges (13) of the large tile (1), and separate the large tile (1) from the cured silicone sealant (5). When the cured silicone sealant (5) around the edges (13) of the large tile (1) is cut and separated from the large tile, the operator may pull the large tile outward away from the wall as shown in FIG. 13 or 14, to completely remove the large tile from the wall without any damage to the tile.

Since the large tile can be completely and smoothly removed from the wall without any damage, no broken pieces of the large tile would be produced during the removal operation of the large tile, and will not damage the floor of the working place. Little cleaning work is required after the removal operation of the large tiles. In addition, the removed large tile can be reused for installation in other place.

The above-described embodiment of the present invention is intended to be illustrated only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An attract surfacing, magnet assisted wall surface installation method, comprising the following steps:

(A) providing a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels, each having an inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least three edges located between the inner and outer surfaces;
(B) adhering a plurality of thin and soft magnets onto the inner surface of the wall-surfacing panel by adhesive;
(C) detachably attaching a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members on the thin and soft magnets by magnetic force, each of the magnetically attractive members comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the magnetically attractive member magnetically compresses against the magnet, and is coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
(D) providing at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel, in which the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener comprises a first member and a second member detachably engaging with the first member; the first member having a back surface for adhering on the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel, and the second member having a back surface for adhering onto a flat wall and being coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
(E) removing the releasable protection films from the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener, and pushing and attaching the wall surfacing panels onto a flat wall, so that the magnetically attractive members and the second member of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener are securely adhered on the flat wall, and the wall surfacing panels are detachably attached on the wall by magnetic force between the thin magnet and the magnetically attractive member, and an engagement force between the first and second members of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener; and
(F) adhering the wall-surfacing panel onto the flat wall by filling caulking sealant along a gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall-surfacing panels.

2. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, wherein the soft magnet is provided with an adhesive backing already in place, for adhering onto the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel.

3. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, wherein the wall surfacing panel is a flat and rectangular large tile having four corners and four edges.

4. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, wherein the caulking sealant is silicone sealant filling along the edges of the wall surfacing panel or in the gap between two adjacent edges of the wall surfacing panels.

5. The wall surface installation method of claim 3, wherein the soft magnets are adhered at four corners of the rectangular large tile.

6. The wall surface installation method of claim 5, further comprising the following step:

(G) providing at least two magnet spacers between an already installed large tile and a large tile to be installed, wherein the magnet spacers are automatically positioned to the soft magnetically attractive members by magnetic force between the magnet spacers and the soft magnetically attractive members, so that the magnet spacers can be detachably positioned at the edge of the tile to form a regular gap between two adjacent tiles.

7. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, wherein the wall surfacing panel, before the step (F), is easily adjustable for its location on the wall.

8. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, wherein the wall surfacing panel, after the step (F), can be easily removed from the wall by using a knife to cut the cured caulking sealant applied in the gap between the adjacent edges of the two adjacent wall surface panels, and using a suction cup to engage and pull outwardly a lower portion of the wall surfacing panel from the flat wall.

9. The wall surface installation method of claim 1, before the wall surfacing panels being securely adhered to the flat wall by caulking sealant at the step (F), further comprising a step (H) of inserting magnetic spacers between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall surfacing panels for adjusting the location of the wall surfacing panels.

10. An attract surfacing, magnet assisted wall surface installation, comprising:

a plurality of thin and flat wall surfacing panels, each having an inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least three edges located between the inner and outer surfaces;
a plurality of thin and soft magnets for adhering onto the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel by adhesive;
a plurality of thin and soft magnetically attractive members for detachably attaching on the thin and soft magnets by magnetic force, each of the magnetically attractive members comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the magnetically attractive member magnetically compresses against the magnet, and is coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film;
at least one 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener to be disposed at an upper portion of the inner surface of the wall surface panel, in which the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener comprises a first member and a second member detachably engaging with the first member; the first member having a back surface for adhering on the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel, and the second member having a back surface for adhering onto a flat wall and being coated with a layer of adhesive covered with a releasable protection film; and
caulking sealant for filling and sealing a gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall surfacing panels.

11. The wall surface installation system of claim 10, wherein the soft magnet is provided with an adhesive backing already in place, for adhering onto the inner surface of the wall surfacing panel.

12. The wall surface installation system of claim 10, wherein the wall surfacing panel is a rectangular flat large tile having four corners and four edges.

13. The wall surface installation system of claim 10, wherein the caulking sealant is silicone sealant filling in the gap between two adjacent edges of two adjacent wall surfacing panels.

14. The wall surface installation system of claim 12, wherein the soft magnets are adhered at the four corners of the rectangular large tile.

15. The wall surface installation system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of magnet spacers for automatically positioning the soft magnetically attractive members by magnetic force between the magnet spacers and the soft magnetically attractive members, so that the magnet spacers can be detachably positioned at the edge of the tile to form a regular gap between two adjacent tiles.

16. The wall surface installation system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of magnetic spacers to be detachably disposed between two edges of two adjacent wall surfacing panels for adjusting the location of the wall surfacing panels, before the wall surfacing panels being securely adhered to the flat wall by adhesive, wherein the magnetic spacer is automatically positioned on the soft magnetically attractive member.

17. The wall surface installation system of claim 10, wherein the wall surfacing panel, after being adhered to flat wall by adhesive, can be easily removed from the wall by using a knife to cut the adhesive applied in the gap between the adjacent edges of the two adjacent wall surface panels, and using a suction cup to engage and to pull outwardly a lower portion of the wall surfacing panel from the flat wall.

18. The wall surface installation system of claim 10, wherein the wall surfacing panel, before being adhered to the flat wall by adhesive, is easily adjustable for its location on the wall, because of the detachably engagement of the 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener, and the magnetic engagement between the soft magnetically attractive members and the soft magnets.

Patent History
Publication number: 20050284062
Type: Application
Filed: May 5, 2004
Publication Date: Dec 29, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Paul Hsieh (Orinda, CA)
Application Number: 10/838,259
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: 52/384.000