Drywall shark

Abstract

Drywall Shark is a specialized drywall cutter. The preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes a housing containing blades and rollers and having two levels, a lever operatively connected to the blades and a measuring line on the exterior. To use Drywall Shark, an individual slides the lever in the channel of the housing to the appropriate demarcation on the measuring line. He then locks the lever and consequently the blades in place inside the appropriate slot. The user then places the housing over the drywall to be cut and positions the blades on the outside edge of the drywall, insuring that the levels show that the housing is being held parallel to the cutting surface. The housing is then slid across the drywall leaving a groove on both sides of the drywall that extends approximately one-eighth of an inch into the drywall. The rollers near the top of the interior of the housing make this sliding motion simple to complete with one hand, leaving the operator's other hand free for other tasks. The drywall can then be snapped off in a cleaner and simpler fashion at the grooves.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This United States Non-Provisional patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/765,302 entitled “Drywall Shark” filed Feb. 3, 2006.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosures made herein relate generally to the new construction and home improvement industries. The invention discussed herein is in the general classification of accessories for drywalling.

BACKGROUND

Gypsum is one of the most widely used minerals in the world with millions of pounds of gypsum consumed annually. A large percentage of the gypsum in the United States is used for making wallboard for homes, offices, and commercial buildings. Wallboard or plasterboard is a thin coat of plaster between two sheets of cardboard. The plaster is made from natural gypsum mined from quarries or from synthetic gypsum produced from scrubbing smokestacks in electrical power plants or from other industrial waste streams.

Many tools are used in conjunction with drywalling. Some of these include: taping heads, pumps, roller handles, glazing head handles, and bridger handles. A razor blade, knife or other cutting utensil is also required to cut the drywall to appropriate dimensions for a given application. Unfortunately, most cutting utensils for use with drywalling produce uneven cuts and are unwieldy to use. The use of traditional cutting utensils is also unsafe and can cause a variety of injuries. The cutters currently employed for use with drywalling also only cut on one side of the drywall leading to imprecision and inconsistencies in the drywall dimensions.

Hence, there is a need in the art for a convenient to use, inexpensive, durable, safe, effective and precise device for cutting drywall.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Drywall Shark is a specialized drywall cutter.

The preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes a housing containing blades and rollers and having two levels, a lever operatively connected to the blades and a measuring line on the exterior.

Other embodiments of the invention may not have the levels. Still others may utilize a first lever to connect to a first blade on the front of the housing and a second lever to connect to a second blade of the back of the housing.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device to cut drywall.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device that cuts drywall evenly on both sides.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device that allows a user to precisely measure dimensions prior to cutting drywall.

Another object of this invention is to provide an affordable device for cutting drywall.

Another object of this invention is to provide a safe device for cutting drywall.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a durable device for cutting drywall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention cut along the line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of Drywall Shark is comprised of at least some of the following: a housing containing blades and rollers and having two levels, a lever operatively connected to the blades and a measuring line on the exterior.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The preferred embodiment has a housing 1 having a U-shape. An approximately rectangular top section 2 and a front section 3 and back section 4 that are approximately rectangular and tapered toward the bottom form the U-shape of the housing 1. The housing 1 is seven inches in height, seven and a half inches in width, and two and a half inches in depth in this preferred embodiment though a variety of other dimensions are also possible. The housing 1 of the preferred embodiment is made of steel though a variety of other materials such as plastic or alloys of steel and aluminum are possible.

Two levels 5 are located on the upper front section 3 of the housing 1. The levels 5 are inserted into the housing 1 and visible from the front of the housing 1.

A measuring line 6 is also located on the front section 3 of the housing 1. The measuring line 6 is centrally located on the front section 3 of the housing 1 and extends six inches from the top section 2 of the housing 1.

A lever 7 connects to two blades (not shown) on the interior of the front section 3 and back section 4 of the housing 1. The lever 7 is located in a channel 8 on the front section 3 of the housing 1. The lever 7 is operatively connected with the blades such that sliding the lever 7 through the channel 8 to a specific mark on the measuring line 6 also moves the blades to that location on the interior of the housing 1. Slots 9 can be used to lock the blades in place at various locations along the channel 8 and corresponding measuring line 6.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention cut along the line A-A of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows the rollers 20 made of steel in this preferred embodiment attached beneath the interior top section 2 of the housing. Three rollers are evenly spaced beneath the interior top section 2 of the housing in this preferred embodiment. Blades 21 made of steel are also shown attached to the lever 7 and emanating from the front section 3 and back section 4 of the housing. The blades 21 cut to a depth of one-eight of an inch on each side. One of the levels 5 is also visible from this view.

FIG. 3 depicts a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The triangular design of the blades 21 can be seen in greater detail from this angle. The blades 21 culminate in a sharp point that is used to cut drywall or the like. The rollers 20 are shown evenly spaced near the top section 2 of the interior of the housing. Both sensors 5 and the lever 7 can also be seen emanating from the front section 3 of the housing opposite the back section 4 of the housing.

To use Drywall Shark, an individual slides the lever in the channel of the housing to the appropriate demarcation on the measuring line. He then locks the lever and consequently the blades in place inside the appropriate slot. The user then places the housing over the drywall to be cut and positions the blades on the outside edge of the drywall, insuring that the levels show that the housing is being held parallel to the cutting surface. The housing is then slid across the drywall leaving a groove on both sides of the drywall that extends approximately one-eighth of an inch into the drywall. The rollers near the top of the interior of the housing make this sliding motion simple to complete with one hand, leaving the operator's other hand free for other tasks. The drywall can then be snapped off in a cleaner and simpler fashion at the grooves.

The materials utilized for Multi Purpose Locater may vary widely but will likely include metals and plastic. The metals would ideally be selected from available steel or alloys of steel and aluminum. The production process related to the use of these metals insures that the metal is non-corrosive, durable and strong. The selected metal should have high impact strength and be capable of accepting and retaining coloring materials for an extended length of time.

The plastic used in the production will ideally be selected for durability and longevity. Thermoplastics are commonly used in the manufacturing of components similar to those used in this invention. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and other similar thermoplastic materials would be among those with the necessary traits. Members of this family are recognized universally as being versatile and of high quality.

The plastic components of Drywall Shark can also be formed with the use of plastic molding techniques, such as injection molding or blow molding. Injection molding requires melted plastic to be forcefully injected into relatively cool molds. As the plastic begins to harden, it takes on the shape of the mold cavity. This technique is ideal for the mass production of products. Alternatively, blow molding, a form of extrusion, could be utilized. Blow molding involves a molten tube being pushed into a mold. Compressed air then forces the molten tube against the cold walls of the mold.

It should be obvious that the components of the present invention can be of various shapes and sizes. It should also be obvious that the components of the invention can be made of different types of metals, plastics or other suitable materials and can be of any color.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It should therefore be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A cutting device comprising:

(a) a housing; and

(b) an adjustable blade within the housing.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing has a U-shape with a top section, a front section and a back section

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the top section is approximately rectangular and the front section and the back section are approximately rectangular and taper toward the bottom.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing is made of steel.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing is made of plastic.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing is made of an alloy of steel and aluminum.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising

a level on the housing.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the level is inserted into the housing and visible from the front of the housing.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the adjustable blade is operatively connected to a lever inserted into a channel on the exterior of the housing.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the adjustable blade is triangular.

11. The device of claim 9 further comprising

a plurality of slots perpendicular to the channel.

12. The device of claim 9 further comprising

a measuring line located on the exterior of the housing and aligned with the channel.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the measuring line is approximately six inches long.

14. The device of claim 1 further comprising

a roller on the interior of the housing.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the roller is made of steel.

16. A cutting device comprising:

(a) a housing with a U-shape having a top section, a front section and a back section wherein the top section is approximately rectangular and the front section and the back section are approximately rectangular and taper toward the bottom;

(b) a first adjustable blade on the interior of the housing emanating from the front section and a second adjustable blade on the interior of the housing emanating from the back section;

(c) a lever inserted into a channel on the front section operatively connected to the first adjustable blade and the second adjustable blade;

(d) a plurality of slots adjacent to the channel;

(e) a measuring line aligned with the channel;

(f) a first level and a second level located on the exterior of the front section; and

(g) a first roller, a second roller and a third roller evenly spaced beneath the interior of the top section.